Top 10 Reasons to Learn C++

C++ is a general-purpose, object-oriented programming language that was designed by Bjarne Stroustrup in 1979 to be an extension of the C language. It has the features of imperative, object-oriented as well as generic programming models. C++ also has some additional facilities to those in C such as classes, inheritance, default function argument, etc. C++ plays quite an integral role in modern times as many contemporary systems such as operating systems, web browsers, databases, etc. have C++ code in at least some part of their codebase. Moreover, C++ is quite useful in performance-critical areas because of its speed.

Top-10-Reasons-to-Learn-C++

Keeping the popularity and relevance of C++ in mind, the top 10 reasons to learn it are given below: 

1. C++ Popularity and High Salary 

C++ is one of the most popular languages in the world. It is used by some 4.4 million developers worldwide. Also, C++ Developers are quite sought and they hold some of the most high-paying jobs in the industry with an average base pay of $103, 035 per year. 

2. C++ has Abundant Library Support 

C++ has the Standard Template Library(STL) which is very useful as it helps in writing code compactly and quickly as required. It contains mainly four components i.e. algorithms, containers, functions, and iterators. The algorithms are of different types such as sorting, searching, etc. The containers store classes to implement different data structures that are commonly used such as stacks, queues, hash tables, vectors, sets, lists, maps, etc. The functors allow the working of the associated function to be customized with the help of the parameters passed. Also, the iterators are used for working upon a sequence of values. 

C++ STL – Self-Paced is full of C++ concepts like how to use functions, loops, arrays, structure, etc, and also advanced concepts like algorithms. 

3. C++ has a Large Community 

There is a large online community of C++ users and experts that is particularly helpful in case any support is required. There are a lot of resources like GeeksforGeeks etc. available on the internet regarding C++. Some of the other online resources for C++ include StackOverflow, cppreference.com, Standard C++, etc. 

4. C++ in Databases 

There are many modern-day databases such as MySQL, MongoDB, MemSQL, etc. that are written in C++. This is because C++ is quite modern and it supports features like exceptions, lambda expressions, etc. Many of the databases that are written in C++ are used in almost all of the in-use applications such as YouTube, WordPress, Twitter, Facebook, etc. 

Want to step into the world of programming, then C++ is the language you need to learn. Enroll today with Geeksforgeeks C++ Programming Foundation – Self-Paced course and learn topics such as input/output in C++, flow control, operators, loops & more. 

5. C++ in Operating Systems 

All the major operating systems such as Windows, Linux, Android, Ubuntu, iOS, etc. are written in a combination of C and C++. The Windows applications are written in C++, while Android applications are written in Java along with C/C++ with non-default run-times for C++ support. Also, C++ can be used to develop the core of the applications in iOS. In general, C or C++ are used in operating systems because of the speed and strongly typed nature of these languages. 

6. C++ in Compilers 

C++ is closer to the hardware level and is a comparatively low-level language. Because of this reason, it is used in many compilers as a backend programming language. An example of this is the GNU Compiler Collection (GCC) which is currently written mostly in C++ along with C. 

7. C++ in Web Browsers 

A lot of web browsers are developed using C++ such as Chrome, Firefox, Safari, etc. Chrome contains C++ in the rendering engine, JavaScript engine, and UI. Firefox uses mainly in the rendering engine and a little in the UI. Safari also uses C++ in the rendering engine and JavaScript engine. All these web browsers and more use C++, particularly in the rendering engines because it provides the required speed that is necessary for the rendering engines since they need to display the content at an accelerated rate. 

8. C++ in Graphics 

Applications requiring graphics such as digital image processing, computer vision, screen recording programs, etc. use C++ due to its high speed. This can also include different games that have graphics as a big part of their structure. 

9. C++ in Embedded Systems 

C++ is closer to the hardware level and so it is quite useful in embedded systems as the software and hardware in these are closely coupled. There are many embedded systems that use C++ such as smart watches, MP3 players, GPS systems, etc. 

10. C++ is Portable 

Program developed in C++ that can be moved from one platform to another. This is one of the main reasons that applications requiring multi-platform or multi-device development often use C++.