Estimating the Value of Java and C++ Skills

C++ and Java are popular programming languages in university programs. Job postings show that Java and C++ are much in demand technical skills. In this paper, the human capital model was fitted to estimate the salary benefits of knowing C++ and Java. The analysis is based on survey data for 22,488 full-time information systems professionals. Based on the results for this model, we conclude that knowledge of Java produces a much greater salary increase than does C++. Of course, knowledge of both languages is particularly desirable because, as expected, knowledge of both languages results in the largest salary.