When hiring junior developers, I look for experience in at least two general purpose languages, because I think comparing and contrasting at least two languages gives you a valuable and necessary perspective. In web software engineering, Ruby+JavaScript (or Python+JavaScript or Go+JavaScript, etc) is a convenient and powerful way to check this box, but "full-stack JavaScript" falls short.
I think Java would be a better second language than Ruby. It is radically different from JS despite the name and is incredibly useful to know due to its wide usage. It also serves as one or the lingua francas of the CS community (alongside C of course).
Not that I think Java is a pleasant language. It is quite a monstrosity in terms of syntax and verbosity, but that doesn't mean it isn't useful to know.
As a data point, I started actual-programming in Perl 15 years ago, started on Rails about 10 years ago, and am now taking Java classes to get some interview-question fundamentals under my belt, since Rails is historically a recovery path for Java programmers. I don't know how it works the other way around, but for me Java has been pretty easy after writing Ruby for some years.
And you're coming into java at a better time - lambdas and inferred generic types for contractor calls reduce the boiler plate a little.
I work on a big java project - I'd love to write new stuff in kotlin though.
It's really interesting to be going in the other direction. People learn Java/C++ in university, then get jobs writing PHP or whatever. I can't imagine how cynical that would make a person, at the very least against their student loans! Not to language-war, natch. But going "in reverse" really feels like an excavation. "Interesting, this is what they had (have, like in your case) to do before langs/frameworks evolved!"
Hah, do you happen to be expecting the need for junior developers in the coming year? ;)
And an actual question: when hiring for [junior] web development roles, would you for example take into account knowledge of non-web languages like, say, 6502 assembly & C++?
I'm curious as in the coming year I'll be graduating and on the hunt. Although I consider myself proficient in JavaScript (and Python to a much greater extent) my hobby interests lie more in microcontrollers, "retro" programming, and just general electronics. Would that sort of background be a boon in your opinion, or would you prefer a candidate with more strength in web technologies? (though by golly I swear I will one day get my homebrew computer connected to the World Wide Web!)
