Is C++ enough?

[ckide]

i like c++,
Is C++ enough to bring me a job or should i study something else?

[mlesniak]

C++ might possibly get you a job but I suggest that you specialise a bit more and find a specific application of C++ that you can develop some kind of expertise in. for example finance, gaming or communications.

[Hiroshe]

Well, "careers" would know several languages well and be able to pick up most practical languages on the spot. If you're an employer, and you see someone who only programs in C++ vs. someone who programs in serveral languages and has experience in various feilds of computing, then you probably won't get the job. However, if a smaller company is really looking for employees and they need a few focused C++ people, you might be able to get the job.

In anycase, knowing C++ is enough to write C++ (except for computations you do not understand of course, even when the language is C++).

[iamthwee]

I would say study something like PHP programming as this will get you into web development. I'm trying to understand PHP with codeigniter and it is great. I don't think their are many c++ jobs and you need to be a master.

Web development is more forgiving.

[jwenting]

There's many entry level jobs out there for C++ programmers, but you're not going to get any job knowing just programming, no matter what the language.

The era of mindless code monkeys is long over.

[Schol-R-LEA]

There was a time when mad skillz was sufficient. In the 1970s, just claiming to be an assembly programmer would get you a high-paying job; in the mid-1980s, a C programmer with any experience might as well own the Philosopher's Stone; in 1995, you could walk into a company with an HTML book under one arm and get hired. But for the past fifteen years, most employers are looking for a good deal more than just the ability to copy code out of a book or off of the web.

C++ is an excellent starting place for a career, but it is not in and of itself enough, unless you are prepared to slog through ten years of small contracts from freelancer.com to earn enough experience to qualify for a entry-level corporate position - and even that is unlikely to work, as almost all companies today require a college degree for any position higher than janitor. At minimum, you'll need some sort of certification, and there are none specifically for C++ that are universally accepted.

Knowing anough about basic data structures and algorithms is just the tip of the iceberg. You need to know about the common tools (version control, various IDEs - you'll often be different environments in different jobs - the command-line toolchains, wikis, build tools such as Make, Ant, or Maven, and so on), common methodologies, common libraries, and common operating system APIs. You'll need to know how to work with programs written in other languages. And you will probably need to know those languages themselves - just because you are hired as a C++ programmer doesn't mean that you will actually be programming only in C++, or even in C++ at all, as many HR departments don't know what the IT depts. actually need when they advertise a position. I couldn't count the number of times I came into an interview expecting one position and finding that they needed to fill an completely different one.

You'll also need basic skills unrelated to programming, the most important of which are communication skills. If you cannot read and write fluently in both English and your native tongue (whatever that may be), you will never be able to work effectively in any position, never mind a programming position. Being able to document a program is just the start; most corporations require a considerable amount of paperwork, and programmers are not exempt from this.

Also, a programmer with only one or two languages under their belt is at a distinct disadvantage to one with several, if only because different languages encourage you to think and work in different ways. While you will eventually need to master one specfic toolkit, not having other tools at hand is a significant handicap.

In any case, no, C++ is not enough, even just for day to day programming. Any C/C++ programmer worth their salt should at the very least know one or more scripting languages, whether that be BASH, Perl, Python, or (in the Windows world) Power Shell. Not all woodworking is done with a commercial-grade lathe, and a battle isn't won through artillery alone. Being able to use 'glue' programs together is a very important skill to have.

Another thing most (though not all) programmers need some knowledge of is SQL, as databases are ubiquitous and almost invariably use SQL for their query language. This can be a tough one for some, as it works on a radically different paradigm from most other languages you'll use - relational programming is far more different from procedural and object-oriented programming than they are from each other, and it takes a good deal of understanding to really grasp how different it is.

Finally, you will probably need some knowledge of HTML and the other languages that make up the Web - CSS, Javascript, and so on. These are common even in jobs unrealted to web programming, as they are often used for documentation, among other things.

[ckide]

+1 for all

[iamthwee]

ckide what are your thoughts? Would you like to start a job at junior level for c++ or would you like to do something else?

[ckide]

iamthwee:
c++ - linux - networking
and maybe i can't find job also!

[melissad]

I must say, c++not enough to get into a job, but enough to do a job! Try to learn about databases or SQL or any designing language.

[mike_2000_17]

In many ways, C++ is the mother of all modern languages, in most application domains. So, is it enough by itself? Not really, but it's a really good start or foundation. In any case, I don't think you can really become an expert C++ programmer without being exposed to a lot of other stuff in the meanwhile. I mean, at the very least, you are going to need some decent scripting skills (e.g., Bash). For the rest, as you do things, you are going to need other things, like knowing SQL to interact with some databases, or knowing some PHP or Python or something for some higher-level tasks (even if it only serves the purpose of exposing or using your C++ code at a scripting level). And then there are plenty of other languages and skills you'll need to pick up in other specific domains.

Remember that programming languages are tools of the trade, it's the trade you have to concentrate on learning. If a company is looking for a programmer, they will be looking for one with particular skills in a specific domain (e.g., databases, web servers, numerical analysis, data analytics, etc..) and even if they say that the job is in doing "C++", it is generally implied that you are familiar with a lot of other things that are specific to the domain in question (e.g., for a "numerical analysis" job, it is implied that you are familiar with fortran, Matlab, and many numerical analysis algorithms, and so on..).

So, remain focused on what application domain(s) you want to aim at, and your learning will naturally evolve towards the languages and skills that that domain requires, and depending on the domain, C++ might be anywhere from a very significant part of it to mostly useless. But the point remains, learning C++ provides a very solid foundation, regardless of where you end up at the end.

[rubberman]

I developed risk analysis software for the options trading industry in Chicago up to 2007. C++ was what was required.