C++11 is a vast improvement, for me, over earlier versions of the language. I still think it's a mess of a language, and the usual caveat applies (no one knows

C++11 is a vast improvement, for me, over earlier versions of the language. I still think it's a mess of a language, and the usual caveat applies (no one knows all of C++ well -- know what subset you're using and be aware of what you don't know), but it can't be dismissed. Should you learn it? There's still a ton of software written in it and it has one of the best compiler ecosystems; for many applications it's one of the only practical options for a production system. Every programmer should know enough C++ to understand templates, RAII, operator overloading, things like that, if only to compare with approaches in other languages. Should you build new systems in it? I would avoid it if possible, but once you learn the language, hey, maybe you'll love it. And if so, there's no shortage of C++ programmers to work with you.