C++, from its first version, released in 1983, has grown in popularity and quickly became (and still is) the dominant language in systems programming and used extensively in application development. 

C++ creator, Bjarne Stroustrup, wanted C++ to be compatible with a complete language with sufficient performance and flexibility to handle the most demanding systems programming tasks. According to Stroustrup, he created C++ to write efficient systems programs, the immediate motivation was being able to distribute operating system facilities across a network.  He thought C the best system programming langauge at that time. This, coupled by the fact that he was fortunate to have C experts like McIlroy, Kernighan, Ritchie and others just down the corridor in AT&T labs  to bounce ideas and get feedbacks, he made  C++ a direct descendant of the C language.  He made C++  to include type checking, data abstraction, support objected oriented concepts while retaining almost all of C as its subset.

How Does C++ Compare to Other Languages 

 Who would be the best person other than the creator to compare c++ with other languages. Stroustrup in his "A history of C++:1979 - 1991" has an entire section devoted to commercial competition. He compared C++ with other languages like Modula-2, Objective C, Ada, Smalltalk. I think the same comparison would be valid when you compare c++ with newer enterprise languages like Java, .Net family of languages, etc.

C++ was designed not as an academic experiment to create the perfect programming language. Nor was it a commercial product to enrich developers. C++'s fundamental strength is its ability to operate in a traditional environment, its run-time and space efficiency, the flexibility of its class concept, its price and its non-proprietary nature.
(source:A history of C++ : 1979 - 1991, Bjarne Stroustrup.).

Where is C++ Used

Vincent Lextrait  has an excellent collection of  products or utilities, and the language used in implementing them. According to him, Microsoft Windows has used C++ extensively, Google Desktop search and Microsoft desktop search both use C++. All office programs, including Microsoft Office, Star Ofiice, Corel/WordPerfect use C++. All the major databases have been implmented in either C or C++. Oracle, Sql Server, Mysql in C++, DB2 and Informix in C. C++ has a strong presence in financial/trading systems, it along with C the language of choice in game development.  Vincent's list is the most comprehensive I have seen. There is another list maintained here by Stroustrup.

What do you need to have, to be a C++ Developer in the Corporate World

Looking at various job requirements for C++ jobs, a successful C++ developer need to understand operating systems (Unix/Linux/Windows API) and have a strong understanding of STL and other C++ concepts. A knowledge of databases will most definitely not hurt.

We have analyzed C++ jobs in US from 2007, and visually represented it on Google Maps. See how C++ jobs varied in raw numbers and salaries across states/metros.

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