Hotskills: C++

What is it?

According to Salary Services Limited, C++ is still the fourth most demanded IT skill, after SQL, C and Java. It is actually more sought after than Java in the contract market.

Formal job advertisements, as used in the Computer Weekly/SSL skills surveys, provide a different picture to the Tiobe Programming Community Index, which assesses popularity of languages using measures such as the number of search-engine hits. According to Tiobe, C++ has just been pushed into fifth place by PHP, with Perl and Python right behind it, and Ruby at number nine and climbing rapidly. None of these languages figure in the SSL top 10.

You can become proficient in these languages more quickly. But there are many good reasons for learning C++, which still offers a secure long-term career, whereas many of the skills derived from scripting languages and Web 2.0 technologies will have a limited lifespan. Learning C++ is also a good education in generic skills.

Where did it originate?

Bjarne Stroustrup began work on "C with Classes" in 1979 at AT&T's Bell Labs. He wanted to write efficient systems programs in the style of a language called Simula67, but found this language too slow, so instead added the features he wanted to C, which he also chose for its portability. C was also developed at Bell Labs.

What's it for?

C++ was developed from the outset to run on the widest possible range of systems, from embedded processors to supercomputers. It also supports different programming styles or "paradigms": object-oriented, generic, procedural. Stroustrup says that "the most compelling cases for multiparadigm programming are found where techniques from different paradigms are used in close collaboration to write code that is more elegant and more maintainable than would be possible within a single paradigm." His paper, Why C++ isn't just an Object-Oriented Programming Language, can be found on his website.

What makes it special?

Unlike Java and C#, C++ is supported by all major suppliers.

How difficult is it to master?

With a background such as C or object-oriented programming, you could begin to be productive in a few days. But to understand and become proficient with all the language constructs will take a lot longer. Stroustrup recommends that beginners "pick a subset, get working writing code, and gradually learn more of the language, its libraries and its tools".

Where is it used?

Far from a "legacy" language providing opportunities only for maintenance work, C++ is used in new developments in high-paying sectors such as finance, defence and aerospace and mobile technologies.

What systems does it run on?

C++ is supported by the Java community's Eclipse development platform and by Microsoft's .net CLI.

What's coming up?

The next C++ standard is likely to be completed by the end of this year, but may not be published until 2010. Stroustrup has made a video overview of "C++Ox", which is available via YouTube.

His paper, The Design of C++0x is on the website.

Rates of pay

£25,000 to £35,000 for junior developers.

Training

Most training companies offer C++. But some further education colleges provide a year's worth of evening classes for the price of a day's commercial training. If you want to be thorough, you might even consider a part-time postgraduate diploma. Since there is no universally recognised commercial certification for C++, such academic qualifications will stand you in good stead -and do not need to be renewed.