Big Tech Software Firms are Looking for Skilled C++ Developers!

The shortage of C++ developers has been mounting on the big tech firms that are now on a hunt

There is an issue with the big tech software firms. There aren't enough applicants who are C++ developers. This was the general consensus in a webinar on high-frequency trading with C++ presented by ProfitView, a provider of crypto trading software. It has become a global issue to find skilled developers.

"It's tough to find candidates who are really skilled C++ developers which is exactly what every trading company wants," claimed Anthony Peacock, a former quant at both Citi and Citadel. This isn't only a British or American problem, and high-frequency trading isn't the only factor involved. C++ programming language in Germany is equally "poor," according to Rainer Grimm, an experienced C++ trainer since 2008. He also stated that there is a "huge need for C++ not only in this domain but also the automobile" business. The programming language has been abandoned by many candidates and now big firms are struggling.

All the C++ programmers — where are they? A bad reputation, the idea that a language is a legacy software, seems to scare people away from using it. This is hardly surprising given that prominent figures in technology, such as Mark Russinovich, the CEO of Microsoft Azure, have urged people to "deprecate" C++ in favor of Rust "for the sake of security and stability."

The reports of C++'s demise may be unfounded. The death of C++ has been claimed numerous times, according to ProfitView CEO Richard Hickling, a former software engineer at Barclays and Bank of America. Hickling cited Java, which for a long time "seemed to be replacing C++ itself," but hasn't.

Then where did all the C++ programmers go? C++ usage among respondents dropped by roughly two percentage points last year (from 24.3% to 22.5%), according to the Stack Overflow Survey 2022, despite a rise in its use among professional developers. The good news is that C++ is among the top 6 programming languages in that area, with 34.7% of respondents who are learning to code using it.

The truth is that C++ is neither simple nor well-liked. In the Stack Overflow Survey's "most loved" category, Rust received an approval rating of 87%. Only 8.8% of respondents used Rust professionally, and only 9.3% of respondents used it at all. C++, on the other hand, remained at 48%.

Nevertheless, C++ has earned a spot in their "big 4" by consistently ranking in the top 4 of the TIOBE index.

The truth is that there are a lot of C++ jobs open in the finance industry, but in comparison to other languages, there aren't as many people to fill them. The language could be difficult. It's worth it, though.

C++ is the New Python

Making a return is C++. This month, it received an 8% rating as the top coding language, placing it at number four on the Tiobe Index. With 11–12%, it isn't quite comparable to C, Java, or Python, but it does indicate that C++ is among the top choices—and that it is maintaining a trend of a rising popularity that started at the beginning of 2020.

As we've mentioned in the past, investment banks and financial services companies historically employed C++ for a certain set of tasks. It is frequently the language of preference for high-speed trading systems because of its low-level memory access and resulting performance. For example, JPMorgan is presently looking to hire a C++ engineer for its JISU low-latency platform. Citadel, a hedge fund, also wants to hire a C++ engineer for its market-making systems. Goldman is also seeking a C++ expert for its systematic trading team.

While C++ isn't quite displacing Python in the financial sector, it is becoming more user-friendly and expanding beyond some of its traditional spheres of application. For instance, Goldman Sachs is looking for professionals who can write in both Java and C++ to assist with the shift away from its proprietary language, Slang, for its SecDB risk and pricing system. Additionally, analytics systems, site reliability engineering, and strats responsibilities involving pricing, risk, and P&L calculations all make extensive use of C++.

If you want to work in finance, learning Python is now required. Even though many students are learning to code in Python, C++'s more difficult learning curve can help you stand out when applying for jobs. In addition, more recent versions of C++ are simpler to use than earlier ones. The support for large-scale reliable software has increased in C++ 20.