Python/Django? Ruby/Rails? PHP/Cake?
My focus is on database-driven web apps. I don't really know the right questions to ask, but I want to pick a language that I can learn parallel to all this VB crap I'm learning in class right now.
Also, where does Ajax fit into all this? I thought it was a framework itself, but Wiki has it listed as a column heading right beside "MVC" on its
web application framework comparison page. I know MVC is a programming methodology, so why is Ajax listed in the same way?
Anyway, I'm rambling. All I know is learning VB is giving me the basics, and it's probably going to be up to me to teach myself the really good languages. Whenever I try to pick something to learn, I wind up getting lost in the endless stream of articles about why one language is better than the other, etc. They all just lead me in circles though, because everyone thinks their language of choice is better than the other ones.
So... what do some of you guys think? Is there a simpler way of picking something? Rails would be pretty easy to pick up, since there is a ton of documentation and videos, etc, but the scalability issues concern me. As a counter point, Django looks really good, but there is almost nothing out there in the way of professional instruction media... PHP had the advantage of being solidly tried and tested over the years, but that doesn't necessarily make it an automatic choice for someone looking at a future career...
Yeesh. Maybe I should just go back to running networks.
Edit: I should mention that I'm currently trying to teach myself Objective-C... I don't really get what makes it so special, though, other than it's the language of choice for OS X apps.