Learning path

C++ Developer Roadmap

What to learn, in order, for a C++ job in games, systems, trading or embedded software: the language down to memory, move semantics and templates, the command line, Git and SQL, then the data structures and algorithms C++ interviews lean on, and code a team can maintain. Free, hands-on, in your browser, with nothing to compile locally.

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483,554+ codders enrolled across these courses

614 lessons524 challenges2,885 quiz questions

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13 free certificates along the path

The C++ developer roadmap, step by step

17 courses6 sections614 lessons524 challenges2,885 quiz questions

Each step is made of existing Coddy courses, and every Start button opens them in C++. Take the steps in order, or start with the one you are missing; progress is saved per course.

1
Step 1
C++, down to memory and templatesDedicated page
Start this stepStartThree sections. Fundamentals covers types, operators, control flow, functions, arrays and strings; Logic & Flow covers pointers with new and delete, std::vector, std::map and std::set, lambdas, a first look at recursion, and exceptions; Object Oriented Programming covers header files, stack against heap, smart pointers and RAII, constructors and destructors, operator overloading, virtual functions, templates, the STL, move semantics and design patterns. C++ is hard at first because it compiles mistakes other languages would refuse; learn it deeply, because C++ jobs hire for exactly that depth.Start Dedicated page
3 sections, in order
234 lessons235 challenges1,557 questions
2
Step 2
Linux and the command lineDedicated page
Start this stepStartFiles and paths, wildcards, grep, pipes and redirection, permissions, environment variables and shell scripts. C++ servers, trading systems and much embedded work run on Linux, and the everyday tools are terminal tools: you compile with g++ or clang++, feed a program test input with <, capture its output with > and search a crash log with grep. A shell script turns a multi-step build or test run into one command.Start Dedicated page82 lessons68 challenges440 questions
3
Step 3
Git and version controlDedicated page
Start this stepStartStaging, commits, .gitignore, branches, merges and conflicts, undoing mistakes and remotes. Object files, binaries and the build/ directory belong in .gitignore, never in a commit. Game studios often keep their huge art assets in Perforce, but almost everywhere else C++ lives in Git, from embedded firmware to open-source compilers.Start Dedicated page58 lessons46 challenges370 questions
4
Step 4
SQL fundamentalsDedicated page
Start this stepStartFiltering, sorting, joins, grouping, aggregates, subqueries, WITH clauses and window functions, on real tables. SQL comes up less in C++ than in web languages, but it comes up: SQLite, the engine these lessons run on, is written in C and embedded in countless desktop and mobile apps, trading and telemetry systems keep their history in databases, and general software engineering interviews sometimes include a query.Start Dedicated page72 lessons72 challenges360 questions
5
Step 5
Data structures, built by hand
Start this stepStartStack, queue, linked list, binary tree and hash table, each written from scratch in C++ and then used on problems. Here step one's pointers get real: every node you allocate with new must be released with delete or owned by a std::unique_ptr, and a tree's destructor is recursion in practice. Afterwards, choosing between std::vector, std::list and std::unordered_map is a decision about cost, not habit.Start
5 courses, in order
66 lessons34 challenges
6
Step 6
Algorithms and recursive thinking
Start this stepStartRecursion challenges, then bubble, selection, insertion, merge and quick sort in C++, the sorts animated in Coddy's algorithm visualizer. Two C++ facts make more sense afterwards: recursion that runs too deep overflows the call stack and usually crashes the program outright, with no exception to catch, and std::list has its own sort() member because std::sort needs random-access iterators a linked list cannot provide.Start
6 courses, in order
62 lessons37 challenges158 questions
7
Step 7
Code other people can read
Start this stepStartAn object-oriented project built end to end and a bank of coding problems, both in C++. In C++, readable code includes clear ownership: who allocates, who frees, which reference may outlive what. C++ code review keeps coming back to it.Start
2 courses, in order
1. User Class - OOP Project8 lessons1 challenges
2. Coding Problems32 lessons31 challenges
40 lessons32 challenges

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1const greeting = "Hello, Coddy!"

2function sayHi(name) {

3 return greeting + " " + name

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"Alex"

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"Hello, Coddy! Alex"

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Intro to Variables

Audio

A variable is a named container that stores a value you can reference later in your program.

In Python, you create one by writing the name, an equals sign, then the value you want to store.

The value can change over time - reassigning the name simply points it to a new value.

1xSarah

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Python Fundamentals

DateJan 2026

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Why follow this C++ roadmap on Coddy

Built for the jobs C++ is chosen for. Game engines, trading systems, browsers, databases, embedded devices and high-performance computing are where C++ is chosen for its control over speed and memory, and every one of those roles expects you to know what your code costs. This roadmap builds that from the language up.
Memory taught, not hidden. The C++ course covers pointers with new and delete, then stack against heap, smart pointers and RAII, copy and move constructors and the rule of three, five and zero: the topics C++ interviews keep coming back to.
Data structures that own their memory. The linked list and the binary tree in step five are nodes you allocate and release yourself, so a leak or a dangling pointer is something you debug rather than something you read about. The recursion challenges and the five sorts are in C++ too.
Graded, with help on compiler errors. Each lesson closes on a C++ challenge that test cases grade, and when the compiler or a test says no, Bugsy points toward the fix without writing it for you. Most courses end with a free certificate, and there is no compiler or toolchain to install.

Frequently asked questions about becoming a C++ developer

How long does it take to become a C++ developer?

Longer than for most languages: nine to eighteen months at about an hour a day is a realistic range from zero to a junior C++ interview. The C++ course itself takes about two months at that pace, and its object-oriented section, with memory management, templates and move semantics, is the part to do slowly; the command line, Git and SQL add about a month; data structures and sorting two or three more. Specialized roles then add their domain: an engine, a trading stack, a microcontroller.

Is C++ a good first language for a software engineer?

It is a demanding one. You learn how memory, types and compilation really work, which makes every later language easier, and you pay for it with slower progress and harsher errors at the start. If you already know you want games, systems or embedded work, starting in C++ is reasonable; if you are unsure, many people learn Python first and come to C++ second, and the software engineer path page is this roadmap in Python.

What does a C++ developer need to know besides C++?

The command line, Git and SQL, which this roadmap covers, then the toolchain around the language: a build system, usually CMake; a debugger such as GDB or LLDB; sanitizers that catch memory errors at run time; and a package manager such as vcpkg or Conan. After that comes the domain you aim at, whether a game engine, operating system internals, networking or embedded hardware.

C++ or Rust for a systems programming career?

C++ for the size of the existing job market, Rust for a growing share of new projects. Game engines, trading systems, browsers and compilers are mostly long-lived C++ codebases, while Rust is gaining ground in new infrastructure and security-sensitive code because its compiler rules out whole classes of memory bugs. Learning C++ first makes Rust's rules feel familiar, and this roadmap exists in Rust as well.

Which course on this roadmap is not taught in C++?

One: clean code is taught in Python only so far, so it is listed after the steps rather than in step seven. Its subject, naming, small functions and clear responsibilities, is language-independent, and the C++ Core Guidelines apply the same thinking to C++ once you have finished it. Every step, the object-oriented project and the coding problems included, is in C++.

Is this C++ roadmap free?

Yes. Every course on it is free: the lessons, the C++ compiler and the Linux terminal in your browser, the test-graded challenges, Bugsy's hints and the certificates. Pro removes the daily energy limit and adds unlimited AI help, and nothing on this roadmap requires it.

Other learning paths

The same courses, arranged for a different role. Progress carries over: a course finished on one path counts on every path that includes it.

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