Programming languages

Which programming languages are most worthwhile mastering nowadays?

I think it's more a case of what isn't worth learning rather than what is. Different languages have their uses in different technologies and applications so find out which are most dominant in the areas that interest you.

One language I don't recommend learning is COBOL because jobs are hard to find for younger programmers. Industry claims things like 80% of all lines of code in the world are written in COBOL and because of this it will never die out. I read somewhere that most COBOL jobs are patching up and maintaining old applications, rather than developing new ones. The jobs are usually short contract that end up being carried out by members of the old boy network of COBOL programmers.

FORTRAN is still widely used in physics and astronomy research centres but is very rarely encountered in industry.

For internet applications PHP, JavaScript, and SQL rule outside of Micro$oft.

Inside the netherworld of Micro$oft you will find C#, VB.NET, and ASP.NET - all of which are (or were under the last government) the preferred choices for public sector software projects.

My son uses C, C++, and even a bit of assembly language from time to time. This is because he programs for Linux and microcontroller based embedded systems. Serious Linux programmers and systems administrators also need to know some shell scripting. Learning how to use software development tools is just as important as learning the programming language for anybody serious about software development - whether it be commercial or open source projects.