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The pool of talented C++ developers is running dry

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Re: The pool of talented C++ developers is running dry

#4
I switched from C++ because the type of work is typically boring. Its either system level stuff, or HFT, usually some market data system or similar. Not to mention its likely a big old system with legacy code base.

Seeing the salaries now I kinda regret switching out, but the companies and business problems you get in Python & Java are much more interesting.

Re: The pool of talented C++ developers is running dry

#5

> People are seemingly scared away from the language by a terrible stigma: the notion that it is a legacy program. My personal experience: Universities (in Germany) simply stopped teaching C++. Most of it is now Python or C#.

Did they?

I know that when I did my CS in early 2000s, they didn’t even teach a specific language — you were expected to pick one up yourself in your own time.

Perhaps it’s just part of a bigger zeitgeist that people just care less about C++ than they did before, faster than the actual job pool is decreasing?

Re: The pool of talented C++ developers is running dry

#6

> People are seemingly scared away from the language by a terrible stigma: the notion that it is a legacy program. My personal experience: Universities (in Germany) simply stopped teaching C++. Most of it is now Python or C#.

I mean, I don't think it's a legacy language at all. But I do think it's a minefield of annoying problems with no two codebases speaking the same subeset of C++ evolved to work around those annoying problems.

All told I would fine it more frustrating to work in C++ than enjoyable.

Re: The pool of talented C++ developers is running dry

#7

> People are seemingly scared away from the language by a terrible stigma: the notion that it is a legacy program. My personal experience: Universities (in Germany) simply stopped teaching C++. Most of it is now Python or C#.

Would not say it's true at least for robotics related fields. I personally taught C++ some years ago and the new guys have taken over since, adopting and improving on my course. There are many specializations where C++ is still a must.

Re: The pool of talented C++ developers is running dry

#8
post #4

I switched from C++ because the type of work is typically boring. Its either system level stuff, or HFT, usually some market data system or similar. Not to mention its likely a big old system with legacy code base. Seeing the salaries now I kinda regret switching out, but the companies and business problems you get in Python & Java are much more interesting.

> the type of work is typically boring.

May be a personal taste thing but graphics programming, computer vision, scientific computing, robotics and even some embedded systems work is far from boring imo.

But certainly the above are niche fields in a market where software engineering is almost always limited to webdev.

Re: The pool of talented C++ developers is running dry

#9
Because Python pays more. Or Javascript. Or Ruby. More demand, more salary. Apart from finance, pay is lower than web languages. And finance is small. Embedded systems programming, that also uses the language, pays 30% less than web jobs from my last job hunting period.

Employees may be leaving the embedded space (and C++) for web tech because of this. This is the feeling I get from my local job market (western Europe). Maybe as the old timers retire, job offers will align? Who knows.

Re: The pool of talented C++ developers is running dry

#10
post #4

I switched from C++ because the type of work is typically boring. Its either system level stuff, or HFT, usually some market data system or similar. Not to mention its likely a big old system with legacy code base. Seeing the salaries now I kinda regret switching out, but the companies and business problems you get in Python & Java are much more interesting.

interesting. i've always found that the basic CRUD apps that most python jobs end up being are far more boring than HFT or systems level
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