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How Much C++ Should You Know For an Entry-Level C++ Job?
Nerval's Lobster writes: How much C++ do you need to know to land an entry-level job that's heavy in C++? That's a question Dice posed to several developers. While the exact topic was C++, the broader question of "How much X do you actually need to know to make money off it?" could also apply to any number of programming languages. In the case of C++, basics to know include virtual methods, virtual destructors, operator overloading, how templates work, correct syntax, the standard library, and more. Anything less, and a senior developer will likely get furious; they have a job to do, and that job isn't teaching the ins and outs of programming. With all that in mind, what's a minimum level of knowledge for a programming language for entry-level developers?
Knowing C++ shouldn't matter. Demonstrating that you can quickly master and use any language should.
The biggest skill in C++ is how to read code that's got templates, generics, overloaded operators, and custom keywords.
"What do you mean they overloaded '+' to merge objects?"
"This doesn't look like C++, it looks like some foreign language."
"Oh, we reversed the meaning of + and - because the senior guy thought that the original semantics were incorrect. But only for some objects."
Is it abort maintaining some old code which tends to be more like C with use of class instead of strict,
Or is it C++14 which is a much more modern language?
NONE! Find a real language! *ducks*
For non-ducks, the most important things to know about C++ aren't list in the summery: RAII and shared_ptr<T>
C++ is not C. C++ written like C tends to be crap code - just an overly complex and distracting language for that coding style. If C++ is the right tool for the job, you need to be using a coding style very similar to C# and Java: throwing exception when errors are encountered, writing exception-safe code all the time, returning from functions in the middle, and never, ever, worrying about cleaning up at the bottom of a function what you allocate at the top.
If all of that sounds wrong to you, congrats, you're a C coder, and there's nothing wrong with that. Good C code is good code. But C++ is designed to be used with "scoped objects", that is, every object cleans itself up when you exit scope, so you really have to internalize the tools for that, and that mindset.
Socialism: a lie told by totalitarians and believed by fools.
For C++ there is no standard answer, because every C++ shop uses a different subset of the language. There are probably a few things that all of them have in common, but it's unreasonable to expect that any entry level C++ programmer can be productive without support from senior programmers while they learn the local ropes. Even experienced C++ programmers will need a little time to get up to speed on the local style guidelines.
C++ doesn't have an extensive set of standard libraries, either, which means that every shop has its own set. So senior programmers have to expect that new people are going to spend a lot of time getting up to speed on those.
Finally, I think the question is fundamentally bad, because it implies a misguided expectation of immediate productivity. That's a common expectation (hope?) throughout much of the industry, but unless you're hiring contractors for six-month jobs, its stupid. What matters in the longer run isn't what your new hires know coming in the door, it's how well they learn, and think. Because whatever they know coming in is invariably inadequate in both short and long term. One of the things I found very refreshing when I joined Google is that they don't much care what you know in terms of languages, libraries and tool sets. It's assumed that capable people will learn what they need to when they need to learn it, and that any new project involves some ramp-up time before people are productive. On the other hand, given a little time to get up to speed capable people will become very productive. Much more so than the less capable person who happened to know the right set of things when hired.
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And I do hope that you offer a senior developer wages as well for these sort of requirements. The OP was talking entry level job.
People requiring these sort of skills for an entry level job are the true reason for the perceived "lack of IT talent" - unreasonable expectations and entry level pay.
C++ is not C. C++ written like C tends to be crap code - just an overly complex and distracting language for that coding style. If C++ is the right tool for the job, you need to be using a coding style very similar to C# and Java
That's a bit of a problem, because when you program in C++ the same way you'd program in Java, you lose the efficiency and simplicity of C without gaining the clean design of Java. Java is superior to C++ in almost every reasonable use of C++ *except* the ones which call for programming in C but with, you know, a little bit plus.
If all of that sounds wrong to you, congrats, you're a C coder
I resemble that remark.
Moderating "-1, Disagree" is simple censorship. Have the guts to post your opinion.