In my work as a QA professional, I have found that Perl is perhaps the best language for scripting the low level hardware systems that I'm using. So I use it every day (like today.) I see lots of jobs offered that just require some scripting experience - either Perl or some other language will at least get you in the door. So professionally, I find that Perl is a great asset. That does not mean the Perl is perfect. I also enjoy programming in that other "P" language - and find that some things are easier to do there than they are in Perl. On the other hand, some times I find myself wishing that I could do something there that is simpler and clearer when expressed in Perl. All languages have their strengths and weaknesses. Picking the right language for a particular task can be difficult - and is often constrained by the existing programming environment. But Perl is a good choice for many tasks and I have yet to find a community that is as helpful and supportive for any other language than you'll find right here.