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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

#31
post #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 Europ…

I'm also surprised c++ is paid less than python and javascript these days, embedded c/c++ jobs are also paid less which requires years of experience to get better at.

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

#32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, the embedded space pays terrible, and the employers don't seem great on the whole. When I was at Google I got to work on embedded stuff and really liked it; but I was getting a Google salary. When I left Google I pursued IoT and embedded jobs a bit and while I was not expecting Google level compensation at all, I was astounded at what was going on there, pay wise. General software eng back end jobs pay better. T…

You may also look into Kernel Programming for a lucrative systems programming career. It is more C and low-level oriented though.

Interesting, what types of companies pay well for kernel programming?

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

#33
I believe they're misguided to invest in C++. Enormous amounts of time and effort are spent solving weird pointer errors in C++ programs which simply don't occur in other languages such as Rust and C#.

Why is there this almost religious belief that their program needs the fastest execution time? It's madness IMHO. Trading a few percentage in performance for safety, reliability and security is more than worth it.

I still use C++ on a very regular basis, but C# is my mainstay at the moment.

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

#34
"eFinancial careers"? "ProfitView, a crypto trading tools developer"? "former software engineer at Barclays and Bank of America"? ... cry me a river.

Maybe they're seeing less C++ developers because more of us developed a bit of a moral backbone and don't go working for those socially parasitic enterprises.

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

#36
post #25

Rust should make the pool of C++ developers decrease exponentially in the coming decades. There's little reason to code a greenfield project in C++ unless it involves leveraging some niche libraries, and those niche libraries will eventually have Rust equivalents.

There's much more reason to do a greenfield project in C++ than Rust - experienced C++ hiring is still considerably easier! Not everything has a purely technical motivator.

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

#37
post #19
post #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 Europ…

Isn't it common for C++ devs in finance to make seven figure salaries?

Not really no, 7 figure roles are few and far between

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

#38
post #27

> 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#.

Having recently learned C++/C.. I don't see why it would be taught as a first language outside of specializations. The gains from C/C++ coding are vastly outweighed by the costs. The reality is that there is no good, agreed upon standard in C++ for how to manage memory... how would you teach this to junior engineers at university?

new / delete?

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

#40

I've been C++ the majority of my career, doing simply amazing shit... and a recent recruiter did not recognize anything I was discussing and asked if I even wrote code. I worked on the original PSX OS, I've delivered over 40 commercial products, all written in C++ and that meant nothing.

I wouldn't take that personally. In my experience most recruiters are complete idiots. The vast majority of recruitment agencies in my geography (UK) just employ children for recruitment roles and as such all their understanding of tech is almost entirely cargo cult and buzzword driven. This is why every tech CV that goes to a recruiter should have a "buzzword page" so they can play pairs, feel like they're adding value and get out of your way.

When a recruiter is like that then their function is simply to forward your CV and arrange an interview. They are not qualified to actually vet your ability in any way.

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