I'm a CS Student and with this book it was a breeze to pick up Visual C++. I've had 3 years of C++ already and I thought the transition to Visual C++ would be difficult. However, it turned out to be really easy. A word of advice though before you buy this book, learn C++ first, then make the transition. If you thought that is what you were supposed to be doing by buying the book, welcome to the world of programming. Buy another C++ book that details the major terms of the language.