Is C++ worth learning?

Hi guys, I am neither a programmer nor software engineer but I would love to become one some day. I am not working now because I am a full- time graduate student of Computer Science and enjoy programming very much. So far, I know Java and a few scripting languages. I would love to study C++ this summer but I am not sure if it is worthwhile job-wise.

I am hoping to get a job in software development next year probably in January. Should I continue with C++? if not what do you recommend, what languages are most in demand?

Hey JDMurray, I know you are a software engineer, I need your input please..

Thanks guys!

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Comments

dynamik

You might want to look at C# if you're going to be developing Windows/ASP.Net apps. There's a lot of overlap between all the C variations, Java, etc., so it's not like learning any one of them is going to be a waste.

PC509

If you want to become a developer someday, you can learn whatever you'd like. C++ is fun, and a mid-level difficulty to learn. But, the syntax is the easy part. The hard part is all the problem solving you have to do. You have a problem, write it in pseudocode and then program it in your language of choice. Once you know one, it doesn't take long to learn a new language.

I would say go for it. I find it fun and cool to learn. Once you know the basics, it's easy to move on to VB.Net, scripting languages, or whatever... Personally, I think that it would be very valuable to have those skills on a resume. Programmers can usually solve problems easily because of their logical thought process.

I'm just a beginner, myself, but enjoy every minute of the learning.

bellhead

You should start with assembler

Forsaken_GA

shamefully stolen from a mailing list I frequent -

# couldn't resist

.section .data
.set _right, 0x00000001
.set _hands, 0x00000002
.set _knees, 0xffffffff

hips:
.long 0x0
tight:
.long 0x0
.text
.align 4

# it's just a:

start:
jmp left
step:
shr $0x1, %eax
movl $_hands, (hips)
movl $_knees, (tight)
push (hips)
push (tight)
call _pelvic_thrust
call _drives_insane
left:
xor %eax, %eax
inc %eax
jmp step
_pelvic_thrust:
pop %eax
pop %ebx
ret
_drives_insane:
pop %eax
push again
ret
again:
jmp start

120nm4n

Forsaken_GA wrote: »

shamefully stolen from a mailing list I frequent -

# couldn't resist

.section .data
.set _right, 0x00000001
.set _hands, 0x00000002
.set _knees, 0xffffffff

hips:
.long 0x0
tight:
.long 0x0
.text
.align 4

# it's just a:

start:
jmp left
step:
shr $0x1, %eax
movl $_hands, (hips)
movl $_knees, (tight)
push (hips)
push (tight)
call _pelvic_thrust
call _drives_insane
left:
xor %eax, %eax
inc %eax
jmp step
_pelvic_thrust:
pop %eax
pop %ebx
ret
_drives_insane:
pop %eax
push again
ret
again:
jmp start

I don't know what's worse: that someone spent the time coming up with that, or that I understand it AND find it funny.

Forsaken_GA

120nm4n wrote: »

I don't know what's worse: that someone spent the time coming up with that, or that I understand it AND find it funny.

My response to the person it came from was to tell them they were an evil, evil person. Song was stuck in my head for the rest of the day. And now, I can share my pain with others!

Isn't the interwebs great?

eMeS

bellhead wrote: »

You should start with assembler

Yes, and when you do please contact me because I will have work for you in perpetuity at a very high rate.

MS

itdaddy

eltoro

I am a computer science major and love programming. I am heading towards the Cisco area because I think Network engineering is ****!
but are you taking the C++ because it is a requirement for your degree? or are you studying it on your own? or is it an elective...This is what my major has done for me..I have had to do many languages C, C++, Assembly, SQL, VB.net, Java, Javcascript, MS Access, Fortan(old but cool), but what that does like others have said is give you a foundation.

Then it is up to you really I feel to specialize...Find a language you love and just obsess over it. You will like all of us have to understand basics of other languages like XML, PHP, Javascript, HTML etc...but specialize. Find applications you love to work with and see what they are programmed in..but no matter what specialize. Do a google search and do say a careerbuilder, monster or Dice search on the languages desired out there to get a feel for the market and go for it! specialize specialize specialize.

Example, we have a webmaster who is in college in his 4th year, the guy can build websites way better than me. I can do stuff but he can create cool stuff and knows many of the tools ie dreamweaver, Flash, and he is an artist. He has specialized...He will never have to understand computers like me nor troubleshoot web servers ect...he just does his speciality..
and I have noticed those who specialize and are dam n good at it have peace of mind and make BIG bucks$$$$$...

-specialize and so searches on Dice, monster, and careerbuilder
do what you love to do!

dynamik

eMeS wrote: »

Yes, and when you do please contact me because I will have work for you in perpetuity at a very high rate.

I suppose the key-logging rootkit business is rather lucrative

itdaddy

suppose the key-logging rootkit business is rather lucrative

dynamik you are killing me. you should do IT stand-up hahaha
hahahahahahahahahah

and I bet it is really!:)

eMeS

dynamik wrote: »

I suppose the key-logging rootkit business is rather lucrative

I have no idea.

I do know that there is always high demand for mainframe Assembler programmers, and never enough supply to meet the demand.

MS

Tryntotechit

Dynamic: that's harsh! LOL!

eltoro

Thanks guys for all your input. I think I am gonna continue with C++ and then move on to C# and Perl.

Thanks again

rfult001

Some tutorials:

Learning a New Programming Language: C++ for Java Programmers

Also try this book: Amazon.com: C++ for Java Programmers: Mark Allen Weiss: Books . It was written by one of my undergraduate professors and was pretty good read.

TravR1

eltoro wrote: »

Thanks guys for all your input. I think I am gonna continue with C++ and then move on to C# and Perl.

Thanks again

Good choices

120nm4n

eMeS wrote: »

I have no idea.

I do know that there is always high demand for mainframe Assembler programmers, and never enough supply to meet the demand.

MS

Maybe I should have put the S370 assembly I took in college to good use...

itdaddy

why perl?

it is goood to even shadow jobs. try to find a job you can shadow and get the ins and outs I even thing VB.net would be cool....
Like I mentioned get a feel for where the market is heading adn dot net is the trend...darn Microsoft leading the way! hahaha

2cents

Kaminsky

itdaddy wrote: »

I am a computer science major and love programming.

I used to love programming at uni until they made us write a light pen barcode reader in 68000 assembly. I did it but it was a bugger of a homework. Fell out of love with programming after that. It just became a tool and not something I really enjoyed anymore.

Dynamik is write though about C# especially if you are using Visual Studio to write it. However, a lot of the mass user programs I come across lately seem to be VB front end with oracle/sql back end.... really sad to see a form of Basic is still in professional use after all these years and still has that *&^$* GOTO statement in it. Yes Basic does what it says on the tin but it doesn't do it very well once it is compiled down into an executable.

I got interested in IT some 26 years ago when I got bored of the games on that came with the vic 20 and started writing Basic programs. I am pretty appalled that a modern day version of that god awfull language is still in use today and that people are proud to be writing in it. That snobishness probably comes from two years being beaten over the head by Pascal at uni so apologies to you VB wizzes.

Programming is a great tool to have in your arsenal and you can knock up usefull little one off utilities really quickly but I personally am glad that I didn't invest in it as a career.

The main trick with programming though is that a good programming ability does not imply any programming language. A good programmer designs the solution to the problem and then is supposed to choose the language which is best suited to the solution in which to write it in.

itdaddy

Kaminsky wrote:

The main trick with programming though is that a good programming ability does not imply any programming language. A good programmer designs the solution to the problem and then is supposed to choose the language which is best suited to the solution in which to write it in.

very well put..and I should explain my love more about programming but
really I hate large programming projects. I get really bored...I like scripting/programming projects that really help administration tasks in IT..
you are right...that love for programming is insane...but the quick wizardy of making a kick butt script whether using perl/javascript/java/posh/kixtart .I agree it depends on the application..But I am sure you know there are guys who know nothing but say JAVA but are darn good at it maybe insane..They know so many functions and methods it blows you away...I cant commit to something that large. I like to blaze and make a great script that blows people minds get my glory praise and leave hahaha

Peibol

Well check this link

TIOBE Software: The Coding Standards Company

it's not accurate, but shows some numbers

eltoro

Thanks again guys. I really appreciate all the inputs.

JDMurray

C++ will be the most versatile programming language for same time to come. You can use it for either very high-level, object-oriented applications or very low-level programs for embedded systems. Although C++ is an OO language, it doesn't force you to use an OO model if you don't need it. C++ doesn't need a large run-time environment like Java and C#, nor is it tied to any one hardware platform or operating system. It is much more productive to write in C or C++ than it is to write in assembly, and you can mix assembly with C++ if you wish. If you need to write small, fast, highly-optimized code that doesn't rely on a bunch of libraries and programs being pre-installed on a system, then C++ is almost always the best choice.

So yes, C++ is certainly worth learning, even if you aren't bothering with object-oriented designs. There will alway be specific applications where another language is better (e.g., perl for string processing, Java for dynamic class loading), but C++ is still in high demand for all types of programming work.

ccie15672

I was a programmer first, before a network engineer. I loved programming until I got my first programming job. Then it was very formal and boring. We had a version control "check in/check out" kind of system, and we had a CCB (a board that reviewed which changes would be in the next version and which ones would not) and so on.

This sucked badly. There were always minor enhancements and bugs, but new features were relatively small in comparison so it was competitive getting to work on those things.

My last major programming project was a project that took messages from an old legacy messaging system and distributed them over SMTP. This was my bridge to networking (sockets and so forth).

Then I jumped ship and went into networking. Back then you did everything as a network engineer... except mount racks and run power. Once the rack was standing up and had power, then we put all the equipment in, ran all the cabling, and programmed the router. Hubs were still common then. 3COM and Cabletron to be exact... some of them with RMON modules.

Anyway... I digress.

C, C++, assembler, and Clipper is what I coded in.

C and C++ are good things to know. A lot of coding is still done in these language. There hasn't been a real drive to move to something else, perhaps with the exception of Java for mobile devices.

Now that concurrency is making programming difficult, there is Erlang. Oddly enough, it was created for coding network devices...

I should get into Erlang.

Forsaken_GA

ccie15672 wrote: »

Then I jumped ship and went into networking. Back then you did everything as a network engineer... except mount racks and run power. Once the rack was standing up and had power, then we put all the equipment in, ran all the cabling, and programmed the router.

Believe me, that particular tradition is still alive and well in some companies.