C++ has a great reach, from bare metal to very high level of abstraction. It can be squeezed to support almost any paradigm, oop to functional. You can make dynamic object systems, build a reflection system or a garbage collector. You can do compile time programming.
In general, a systems language is a great asset in your toolbelt. A high level one can let you shape your own environment to great detail.
In the end I think most systems languages will take you to a similar place. Many others have fewer footguns or better ergonomics than C++. Its distinctive feature/bug is having no opinion of almost anything. Or alternatively, you can find subcommunities with almost any opinion.