The Microsoft Cloud industry can be a bit of a minefield for newcomers and knowing what skills and experience you’ll need to develop a successful career from the ground up can be just as confusing.
Which Microsoft roles do you actually need coding experience for?
Having at least a basic understanding of many different areas of the ecosystem is never going to put you in bad stead. In fact, it’s a huge advantage and means you have something extra to impress potential employers with. While not a requirement for all roles within Microsoft, there are some that do require coding experience. According to the world’s largest independent study of the Microsoft ecosystem, Nigel Frank’s Microsoft 365 and Azure Careers and Hiring Guide, if you’re considering forging a career as an Azure Cloud Engineer, Technical Architect, or Data Engineer, a good understanding of coding, as well as experience using coding language, is essential.
However, it’s worth noting that different roles demand proficiency in different programs. For example, to be an Azure Cloud Engineer, you will need advanced knowledge of development or scripting languages, while a Technical Architect needs to have been hands-on with programming and scripting languages, and a Data Engineer just needs to have a good understanding of them.
What is C++?
C++ (pronounced just as it’s spelt – C plus plus) is a general object-oriented programming language that was designed by computer scientist Bjarne Stroustrup in 1985 as an extension of the C family. The aim was to develop it as a cross-platform extension of C that could provide developers with better control over memory and system resources, without impacting the speed and efficiency that it was—and still is—known for.
In order to do this, Stroustrup took the efficiency of BCPL, the high-level of Simula, and universality of C. And he didn’t stop there! He also took inspiration from other languages such as Ada, ML and ALGOL 68 in order to create a general-purpose language that would be able to take all C programs without having to change their code. All of these features have led it to be nicknamed the ’Swiss pocketknife of programming languages’—although this nickname is shared with Python, too.
It has also been known to be referred to as ’C with classes’ as it introduces object-oriented programming principles to the original C programming language framework. And while that in itself has proved useful over time, it’s not just object-oriented programming that C++ supports, but also that of functional and procedural.
We’ll be discussing the pros of C++ a bit later on, but it’s worth nothing here that because of the high flexibility and scalability of the language, it is still developers’ number one choice for creating a range of different software and applications—so C++ is essentially a jack-of-all-trades, much like Microsoft Developers have to be. What a perfect match!
How is C++ used in Microsoft applications?
If you come from a tech background, you might already know that C++ is used to develop everything from games to desktop apps, operating systems and browsers because of its power and efficiency. In fact, because it has such great performance, as a compiled language rather than an interpreted coding language, it’s closing in on the speed of the computer itself—making it the go-to for game engines where processing hundreds of lines of codes otherwise would have been way too time-consuming. And when you’re developing the next World of Warcraft, there’s no time to waste!
There are several broad categories of Microsoft applications that can be created using C++. And each of these have their own programming model and set of Windows-specific libraries, but the standard C++ and third-party C++ libraries can be used across any of them.
The C++ programming language is behind some of the biggest and best game engines created. For example, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City was written entirely in C++, while Diablo 2, Doom, and Counter-Strike were also formed through using C++ as the developer language. Want to know if your fave was created with C++? If it’s an AAA title, you can pretty much guarantee C++ was used at some point in the development process because they need to run as fast as possible, and C++ is the best language for ensuring this happens.
The pros and cons of C++
Although it may seem mighty in all senses, just like anything else, C++ does have some potential downfalls. But do these outweigh the benefits of learning it? We’ll let you read the below and decide!
Pros
- Makes it easier to learn other programming languages
- Easier to sort data by treating it as an object, so code can be reused—saving time
- Portable programming language, so can run same programs over different interfaces
- Multi-paradigm style, so you can write code in different styles
- Well-written C++ programs are fast and efficient
- More flexible than other languages; can work at the highest levels of abstraction and down at the level of the silicon
- Enables access to low-level hardware features—maximizing speed and memory functions
- Can be used to create almost any type of program
- Gives you a much better picture of computer architecture
- Huge scalability potential
- Large community using it, so many support networks to approach
Cons
- Deals with some infamously hard concepts including pointers, and misuse can cause system crashes and abnormal memory consumption
- Very complex so can limit what you can do with it initially
- Hard to filter unnecessary data due to lack of a garbage collector
- Can’t support built-in code threads so process is slower and more complicated
- Security issues associated with availability of pointers, global variables and friend functions
- Have to manually allocate pointers which is time consuming and easily forgotten about
What is JavaScript?
Similar to C++, JavaScript is an object-oriented programming language, however it is text-based that is used both client- and server-side with the aim of simplifying the process of making web pages interactive. Not only will this keep people engaged and on your pages for longer, therefore positively impacting your on-site SEO, but it also means your pages are more shareable and will gain more traffic.
The first JavaScript ever used was created by Brendan Eich while at Netscape Communications Corporation—home of the legendary Netscape Navigator web browser. Working alongside the founder Marc Andreesen and part of the ex-Mosaic team, they decided that the web needed to change and Eich was contracted to develop a ’Scheme for the browser’ which would be something dynamic, powerful and easy to grasp. As a result, it was concluded that the web needed a small scripting language that could interact with the Document Object Model (DOM). In their designing process, they also figured this new scripting language should be aimed less at big-shot developers and those with experience in software engineering, and more towards designers.
JavaScript is now known as the programming language of the web, holding the ability to update and/or change both HTML and CSS, as well as being able to calculate, manipulate and validate data—another jack-of-all-trades!
Some of the biggest names in business are using JavaScript at both the front- and back-ends of their infrastructure—including PayPal, Uber, and even our favorite entertainment platform, Netflix —further proving its flexible and efficient nature.
How is JavaScript used in Microsoft applications?
Because of its versatility and multi-paradigm nature, JavaScript has become incredibly popular with developers, with GitHub’s The 2021 State of the Octoverse report revealing that JavaScript has reigned supreme as the top programming language used for at least eight years running now (2014-2021). And it’s unsurprising why, given how easy it is to use JavaScript, once you’ve got your head round it, and essentially, how it can work at lightning speeds to help you make the most of your Microsoft applications.
Microsoft itself has previously reported investing heavily in JavaScript and Node.js (JavaScript’s open-source, cross-platform child that runs code outside of a web browser environment) as it is a “first class citizen on Azure and many other products.” In fact, in most cases, developers are turning to ways of using JavaScript via the Node.js framework, particularly when it comes to Azure—it’s actually now one of Azure’s main features! Plus, they’ve integrated Visual Studio support for Node, and developed its own version for the Internet of Things—which lent it the lightweight and efficient features it needed to perform properly.
Although you’re probably never going to find JavaScript powering Windows, its usefulness is definitely not redundant with Microsoft on a wider scale. For example, the tech giant relies on JavaScript for its Edge web browser—much like every other browser that needs to be able to process and execute JavaScript effectively. However, Microsoft has gone one step further and developed their own JavaScript engine for Edge, meaning it can run faster and benefit as much as possible from the underlying hardware.
The pros and cons of JavaScript
As the top programming language used in developer work, you might be scratching your head trying to figure out how it could possibly have any downfalls. But nothing’s perfect—we all have flaws. Let’s take a look at how these flaws weigh up against the many positives of JavaScript!
Pros
- Reduced time required for compilation compared to other languages
- Client-side script, so speeds up the execution of programs
- Structure of JavaScript is simple for both users and developers
- Easy to understand and learn
- Can be embedded into any webpage or inside the script of another programming language
- Data can be validated on the server itself
- It allows for rich interfaces which improves UX and interactivity
- Versatile—capable of both front-end and back-end developments
- Improves website performance by shortening code and reducing overhead
Cons
- Code can be seen by users, so it can be manipulated for malicious purposes
- JavaScript code needs to be run on multiple platforms before it’s published, as it’s interpreted differently across different browsers
- Lacks a debugging facility, unlike C++
- Browser doesn’t show any errors, so it’s hard for a developer to detect problems
- Only supports single inheritance
- A single code error can halt the rendering of an entire JavaScript code on the website
Drumroll, please!
Now you’ve got a better picture of both C++ and JavaScript as programming languages, it’s time for the moment of truth. And while it might sound like a bit of a disappointing answer, we couldn’t possibly recommend one of these top languages over the other—both are useful in their own right. Although they are both object-oriented, they have totally different uses, meaning that learning either of these coding languages can boost your skill set if you’re thinking of starting a career in Microsoft Cloud—and who doesn’t want that in such a talent- and skill-scarce time?!
What we can say is that if you were trying to figure out learning one over the other—where your role doesn’t specifically require either—then getting to grips with the more complex C++ processing language first could be a smart idea. Why? Well, mainly, because it is more complex, so anything that comes after is going to be easy-peasy to pick up! Plus, seeing as it can be used to create almost any program, you’ll have much more scope to impress everyone from hiring managers, to colleagues, and those ever-so-curious family members!
It’s always good to take opportunities to develop your knowledge. If you’re interested in starting a career in Microsoft Cloud, check out fully-funded Microsoft cloud careers programs.
