Thread: New to C++ Programming, but is it worth it to learn?

The term high level programming is being thrown around alot. C++ is not a high level programming language. C++ is a low level programming language meaning that is closer to machine language than spoken language. BASIC would be considered high level because it is closer to spoken language. C++ is however highly complex which is what I believe many of the posters meant. Windows programming even more complex because it takes all the data structures and organization of C++ and adds the manipulation of windows and controls.

Personally (18yr old kid no industry experience) , C++ is fine to learn. It contains all the major data types. You can go into depth in everything from data organization to graphics programming. And changing from C++ to another language won't be that difficult. The concepts will stay the same. You will just need to learn slightly different syntax and functions.

I think by "high-level programming" bumcheekcity actually means "programming with graphics", since the contrast was with "little Black-Box-DOS C++".

C++ is not a high level programming language. C++ is a low level programming language meaning that is closer to machine language than spoken language.

High and low are relative terms. C++ is a high level programming language as compared to assembly language, especially when you consider the abstractions provided by the C++ standard library. C++ is a low level programming language when compared to programming languages with higher levels of abstraction, especially in the core language.

Originally Posted by Brad0407

changing from C++ to another language won't be that difficult. The concepts will stay the same. You will just need to learn slightly different syntax and functions.

This is true. You know it, and I know it.

Unfortunately the HR/recruitment monkey doesn't. He's been told to find a .net programmer with at least 3 years C# and even though a # looks kinda like '++' squished together, he's done a 2 hour "beginners guide to IT" course and he KNOWS that they're different.

So he's gonna take the guy with 3 years C# (really 2 years and 4 months, but hey it's close enough) over the guy with 5 years C++.

Ok, that's an exaggeration. But it's not too far removed from reality. My girlfriend was a recruitment consultant for years.

She'd get a job request for a J2EE programmer. Being that J2EE programmers are thin on the ground, she sometimes submit a particularly talented C++ or C# programmer, on the basis that a) they'd pick it up quick and b) they were keen to get some J2EE experience. They were always rejected.

Moral of the story is: you could be Bjarne Stroustrup but if the job says C#, 9 times out of 10 they mean it.