What kind of jobs is it that pays good as programmer?

What kind of jobs is it that pays good as programmer?

I am learning c++ right now so I can make some games later but I'm curious what kind of jobs everyone keeps talking about constantly saying "if you are just interested in making money then you should use your programming skills for something else than game development".
So what kind of jobs can you get with what type of programming skills and average salaries for those jobs?
What could I get with c++ knowledge? How hard are the jobs to get? Is it a lot of competition to get them?