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How high should my C/C++ skills to be add into a resume

I'm learning how to code in C and C++ in high school, we are doing arrays, funcionts and so on. But we haven't done any object programming.
Is ti a valuable skill that i can include in my Resume ?
#high-school #coding #programming

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Dhairya’s Answer

Hi Mattia,
Great question. You probably haven't covered OOP (object oriented programming) in C as C is a low-level language without any inherent class structures built-in. You can create primitive objects using structs and but it's a hassle to create higher level class abstractions. C++ however is object oriented (literally its C with objects). My guess is your school will eventually work it way way to it. You can also look up OOP tutorials for C++ online. Learning how to create classes and objects is trivial. Learning object oriented design patterns for writing elegant software takes time and you learn it as you code more and/or take more advanced courses. Again there's many tutorials online to get you acquainted with common patterns and strategies.

As for the usefulness of OOP. For standard software engineering jobs it is expected you know object oriented design. Usually most computer science undergraduate degrees or advanced high school programs will cover it. For purely front-end development (e.g. developing UIs, websites, etc) it's not necessary but knowing it will definitely give you a leg up when interviewing. But for any other software engineering job, knowing data structures and basics of designing more complex software using OOP is expected.

As for your resume, you should include an accurate representation of coding skills. Based on your description, I'd rate you as beginner who has basic coding literacy and some experience writing code. While you wouldn't competitive for full-time jobs without a college degree or significant experience, you'd meet the minimum for internships. For interns, I usually look for capacity to thinking logically and computationally. That is do you understand basic control structures (like if/else statements, loops, etc)? Can you write basic functions to solve specific problems (e.g. write a function to calculate a the average of two lists of numbers)? And are you self-motivated. That is can I give you a tutorial or a description of a problem and would be able to use google to research an answer.

Going forward, I'd suggest looking online for OOP tutorials in C++ and practice writing more code. As Atul mentioned learning other languages is helpful as well. Java is purely object oriented is a great way to dive into OOP design. It is however a ridiculously verbose language and quite frustrating to write code in. Python is very light weight and great language to explore data structures and OOP concepts without getting bogged down by syntax. However since it's dynamically typed you may end up picking up some bad habits. There's many pros and cons. But I'd suggest learning either Python or Java (script) as a secondary language and doing specific tutorials to learn more about OOP. If college is a viable option, I'd also recommend looking for CS programs and preparing for college applications.

Good luck and feel free to post more specific questions.
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Kim’s Answer

Mattia,

As a HS student, what kinds of jobs are you applying for? I ask, because, if you are applying to be a barista, to help save money for college, you don't want to appear to be "overqualified." The potential employer might be afraid you will be bored on the job. Conversely, if applying for computer jobs, you need to be honest with your skill level. Find the words to convey what you can and can't do, don't just list the language. I've worked with clients who claimed to "know" Excel, and all they did was data entry -they couldn't create even a basic spreadsheet! So, you could say you have entry-level, or intermediate skills, and list some of the things you can do.

Also, I hope you are paying attention to the actual job announcements. They will let you know if you are potentially a good-fit for a job opening. Don't apply to everything out there! And, please tweak your resume to match the jobs you are applying for. For example, if the job puts heavy emphasis on attendance, find a way to include a reference to your school attendance record, perhaps by mentioning the demands of showing up for practice every day (band, sports, etc).
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Ryan’s Answer

Hi Mattia,

Great question! In my past experience as a recruiter and now in seeing the hiring process at my company, skills are the most valuable asset. I agree with Kim's point that it will be job-specific, but provided the job is looking for C/C++ knowledge, I would make it abundantly clear very high up on your resume. Hiring managers and recruiters often make a determination on your resume before they get even close to going through the whole thing.

Hope this helps!

Ryan
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Atul’s Answer

If you want to be good at these two languages- get a book and practice via exercise at the end of each chapter.

Secondly, in the US, people are seeking Python, Java and Go languages too.

Expand your horizon learn all of them vs only one language.
I wrote in C language for living more than 30 years ago and it is now less popular than today.
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Phil’s Answer

The languages that you use on a day-to-day basis depend on the type of application you are programming. C and C++ are more common in the lower level system programming, where high performance is very important.

Your main goal to the moment should be to get experience programming in any language. So you get the understanding of how basic data structures work, and their benefits and disadvantages. At this stage your choice of language is not so important, once you have a good foundation in programming it is relatively straightforward to learn a new language.

There will be many more things to learn for software engineering while you are studying in college.
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Brayden’s Answer

Hello Mattia, I think that any knowledge of programing is hugely valuable in any occupation. Not only does it show that you are proficient with a computer at a base level, it also gives you the basic background to all programing software's. As an engineering student I'm constantly using programs that involve basic functions such as for, if, while, loop etc., and having the basic knowledge to be able to read and understand what the code is saying is highly valuable. One thing you have to make sure of is that you are honest to yourself about your ability's with c/c++, because while it may be easy to do a quick google search so solve your problem this isn't always the case. So being honest with yourself will give you confidence that if you are asked to do something that you will be able to do it. Hope this helps.
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