The future of Perl? (Perl 6, Employability)

Question

I've found a few related questions, like Python V Perl and Is Perl Worth it?, but I can't seem to find anything that directly addresses this question.

Is there a legitimate future in Perl? I work in a Perl shop right now, and I came from PHP so I see some of the advantages of an arguably "lower" level language when doing things on the server-level, but it seems to me a lot of the tasks in Perl can be performed more quickly in PHP, and SOME ARGUE (subjective, not my opinion) that Python does these tasks in a more explicit way that's easier to maintain.

Is having this job on my resume ultimately going to make me less employable, especially if the language no longer grows?

A few notes:

1. I love Perl, so don't think I'm bashing the language. It's fun to use and we use a fairly verbose syntax that is relatively easy to maintain.
2. I realize that "Vaporware" is a buzzword that isn't necessarily applicable to this situation, because Perl doesn't have a marketing department and they're not "promising" Perl 6 by any date.
3. I realize that CPAN keeps the community going, so whether Perl 6 comes out or not people continue to build modules that increase possibilities in the language, but that doesn't mean that industry shops realize this, and switch to "more supported" languages that keep coming out with revised versions of the language like Python and (especially) PHP.*

EDIT {CLARIFICATION} Cade Roux and Telemachus both brought up good points about whether or not your future can be defined by your resume.

To be honest, this was brought up when one of my former employers said "I don't hire anyone with Perl as their last job. That's OLD technology." This was a PHP shop, so take all that with a grain of salt.

Now without defaming my former employer, she's not a tech person AT ALL, so she was really expressing an opinion of a layperson, and in this case my question was more along the lines of "Is there a stigma on this particular technology placed on it by people who don't utilize it?", specifically more along the lines of people who may have had past experience with similar employers. I'm not asking you to look into the future with a magic glass to assume what the next "hot" language would be, but rather if this particular language (which is accused of stunted growth, again by laypeople) has negative connotations placed upon it.

I hope that makes a little more sense.

Answer 1

• Plenty of shops - including on Wall Street - heavily use Perl and will continue to do so.

  However, I have never seen a PHP or Python used in this industry (not saying it is not used, but that I never encountered. Purely personal anecdote. Nor have I EVER heard any conversation of "Perl can not do X that Python can, let's use Python").

• Perl6 is irrelevant to job picture.

  • Many shops are still on 5.8 or G-d forbid 5.6

  • More importantly, perl5 continues to evolve, including with features/ideas from Perl6. See Perl 5.10 and 5.11

  • Plus evolution includes really cool framework like Moose etc...

I can probably come up with more bullets later, but the summary is that no, having a Perl job will in no way negatively affect your career prospects.

However, knowing nothing but Perl may affect it negatively, so make sure you know Java, C#, C++ or something besides dynamic interpreted languages. Not many shops would hire "Perl Only" developer, even if they gladly hire "Perl + other stuff" ones.

Answer 2

Perl is, and always will be, a practical language for manipulating large amounts of data. I work in an industry where moving, converting, and parsing large amounts of text and image data is what we do, and I couldn't live without Perl.

Likewise, if you're a sysadmin (especially a Unix one), Perl is a necessary tool. There are tons of places where you need to be able to whip up a quick and dirty application that runs right along with the shell functions.

Languages have niches. Perl has a big stable niche, in many ways much more stable than fad-driven web languages. Php, for example, is a nice little web language, but it's saving grace is that it's quick and easy to develop in, not that it is a particularly great language. I'll tend to use php over perl for web applications (though I use Python over Php, if I have time), but 90% of the stuff I do in my day-to-day would be nearly impossible in php, and is flat trivial in perl.

@Nate:I love Python. LOVE it. I actually worry that I love it too much, and I'm being irrational about it. Php is a nice tool, but when your main selling point is "Quick and Easy" then you're running a risk. That was the big push behind original VB, and we all know how that worked out.

Answer 3

See Tim Bunce's Perl Myths slides on slide share.

In short, Perl is not dead and has lots of jobs available.

Answer 4

There are few languages I would tie my career to. Perl will always be there and it will always be the best tool for certain kinds of jobs. But this is true for many languages. However, there are also languages which have more competition in some of the spaces where they are used. Perl is one language that has a lot more strong niches.

Still, you wouldn't restrict yourself to using just one language for your entire life - or even in one project if there are better options to solve a problem.

Career-wise, there are basic technologies which are fairly universally used, and of these I think a few of the most valuable are: relational database concepts and SQL, XML/HTML/HTTP/DOM, regular expressions. These are all basically independent of any particular vendor or language, and if you are strong in these areas, choice of language and platform are going to be informed by the problem being addressed.

Answer 5

Perl is another tool in your toolbox. If I have an opening and one person is narrow focused to a specific technology, and another has a broad range of skills I would be more inclined to hire the one with the wider range of skills even if they might not be quite as deeply knowledgeable. Some one who has a wide range of skills on a range of platforms is someone who can think, innovate and adapt.

Answer 6

I don't understand the point of this question. You have a job and you already know Perl. You can ask whether or not to learn new languages and which ones to learn (please don't, but you could), but none of us can or should predict whether or not you're going to get another job using Perl.

You ask, "Is having this job on my resume ultimately going to make me less employable, especially if the language no longer grows?"

Well, it's better than a blank resume, and you can't change your past, so really what are we talking about here?

Answer 7

To add another separate answer - as you have noted - there is a very real danger when dealing with recruiters and others that your resume will be interpreted and things inferred that are not necessarily how you see yourself, and you might get pigeon-holed.

This WILL happen both ways - too much variation and you aren't an expert in anything OR too little variation and you are only good at one thing.

I don't have a simple answer for combatting that, except to ensure that you emphasize portable skills and also achievements which are independent of technology - making the company more money, landing new business, making new markets, etc.

Answer 8

I'd discourage you from putting Perl on your resume - there's already too many people in the perl market and we don't want any more! ... just kidding.

The past is supposedly no guide to the future, but, despite having plenty of C (etc.) and Java in my 'skills toolbag' I've seen more gainful employ from my Perl than anything else over the last decade.

I suspect that offshore-perl-new-build may not be the biggest market in the future, but there's certainly active development in the city and media industries in the UK.

Otherwise, I'd just agree with the points above. Technicians with diverse skills are more able to pick the right tools, and less inclined to 'get religious' about language choice.

If you're looking at a post where the non-technical management have a strong point of view about what technology should and shouldn't be used - I'd place that one in the 'avoid' pile.