Thread: Which is more marketable/desirable: C or C++?

  1. #1
    Registered User andrew89's Avatar
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    Which is more marketable/desirable: C or C++?

    First, I'm not even sure if this is in the right section, but it seemed to fit most of the criteria.

    I've googled for the past 2 hours looking for stats on the subject, but I haven't run into anything that isn't outdated or 'unsortable' (meaning I look at a job site or 5 and c and c++ has little if any distinction).

    All I want to really know is, which language has an advantage when it comes to job openings. Are employers looking for C programmers specifically, C++ programmers specifically, or both?

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    Demand for programmers of any language change over time. Any answer to your question today might not even be relevant six months from now. The reasons for change are not always logical.

    You would be better off picking what type of work you want to do. I don't just mean "programming". I mean pick a purpose (or application area) you want to address, that you want to write programs for. Then ask what languages can be used to do that type of work. The key is more to focus on solving problems. If you can develop that sort of skill, programming language is not particularly important. The only difference between programming languages is that each is suited more to some set of application areas than another language.

    Once you have some ideas of what work you want to do, some languages will have features that support that work better than others. Pick one. It doesn't really matter which. Use it to solve useful problems related to the type of work you want to do. When you have gone through a number of such problems, pick another relevant language, and use it to solve useful problems.

    Programming language zealots and bigots will claim that their preferred language is best for everything. They are wrong.
    Last edited by grumpy; 12-25-2011 at 09:24 PM.
    Right 98% of the time, and don't care about the other 3%.

    If I seem grumpy or unhelpful in reply to you, or tell you you need to demonstrate more effort before you can expect help, it is likely you deserve it. Suck it up, Buttercup, and read this, this, and this before posting again.

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