Beginners' Confusion: Why Should I Learn C++?

1. Games:
C++ overrides the complexities of 3D games, optimizes resource management and facilitates multiplayer with networking. The language is extremely fast, allows procedural programming for CPU intensive functions and provides greater control over hardware, because of which it has been widely used in the development of gaming engines. For instance, the science fiction game Doom 3 is cited as an example of a game that used C++ well and the Unreal Engine, a suite of game development tools, is written in C++.
2. Graphics User Interface (GUI) based applications:
Many highly used applications, such as Image Ready, Adobe Premier, Photoshop and Illustrator, are scripted in C++.
3. Web Browsers:
With the introduction of specialized languages such as PHP and Java, the adoption of C++ is limited for scripting of websites and web applications. However, where speed and reliability are required, C++ is still preferred. For instance, a part of Google’s back-end is coded in C++, and the rendering engine of a few open source projects, such as web browser Mozilla Firefox and email client Mozilla Thunderbird, is also scripted in this programming language.
4. Advance Computations and Graphics:
C++ provides the means for building applications requiring real-time physical simulations, high-performance image processing, and mobile sensor applications. Maya 3D software, used for integrated 3D modeling, visual effects and animation, is coded in C++.
5. Database Software:
C++ and C have been used for scripting MySQL, one of the most popular database management software. The software forms the backbone of a variety of database-based enterprises, such as Google, Wikipedia, Yahoo, and YouTube etc.
6. Operating Systems:
C++ forms an integral part of many of the prevalent operating systems including Apple’s OS X and various versions of Microsoft Windows, and the erstwhile Symbian mobile OS.
7. Enterprise Software:
C++ finds a purpose in banking and trading enterprise applications, such as those deployed by Bloomberg and Reuters. It is also used in the development of advanced software, such as flight simulators and radar processing.
8. Medical and Engineering Applications:
Many advanced medical pieces of equipment, such as MRI machines, use C++ language for scripting their software. It is also part of engineering applications, such as high-end CAD/CAM systems.
9. Compilers:
A host of compilers including Apple C++, Bloodshed Dev-C++, Clang C++ and MinGW make use of C++ language.