How long does it take to learn C++?

That depends on what you mean by “learning.” If you are a C programmer you can learn enough C++ to make you more effective at C-style programming in a day.

The book Programming: Principles and Practice using C++ has been used to get thousands of freshmen (1st year students) through the fundamentals of C++ and the programming techniques it supports (notably object-oriented programming and generic programming) in a semester.

On the other hand, if you want to be fully comfortable with all the major C++ language constructs, with data abstraction, Object-Oriented programming, generic programming, Object-Oriented design, etc., you can easily spend a year or two – if you aren’t already acquainted with those techniques (say, from Java or C#).

Is that then the time it takes to learn C++? Maybe, but then again, that is the timescale we have to consider to become better designers and programmers. If a dramatic change of the way we work and think about building systems isn’t our aim, then why bother to learn a new language? Compared to the time required to learn to play the piano well or to become fluent in a foreign (natural) language, learning a new and different programming language and programming style is easy.

For more observations about learning C++ see D&E or a note Bjarne Stroustrup wrote some time ago.

Companies successfully teach standard industry “short courses,” where a university semester course is compressed into one 40 hour work week. But regardless of where you get your training, make sure the courses have a hands-on element, since most people learn best when they have projects to help the concepts “gel.” But even if they have the best training, they’re not ready yet.

It takes 6-12 months to become broadly proficient in C++, especially if you haven’t done OO or generic programming before. It takes less time for developers who have easy access to a “local” body of experts, more if there isn’t a “good” general purpose C++ class library available. To become one of these experts who can mentor others takes around 3 years.

Some people never make it. You don’t have a chance unless you are teachable and have personal drive. As a bare minimum on “teachability,” you have to be able to admit when you’ve been wrong. As a bare minimum on “drive,” you must be willing to put in some extra hours. Remember: it’s a lot easier to learn some new facts than it is to change your paradigm, i.e., to change the way you think; to change your notion of goodness; to change your mental models.

Two things you should do:

• Get your people two books: one to tell them what is legal, another to tell them what is moral
• Consider bringing in a “mentor”

Two things you should not do:

• You should not bother having your people trained in C as a stepping-stone to learning OO/C++
• You should not bother having your people trained in Objective-C as a stepping-stone to learning OO/C++