In my case initiate is massive hyperbole. I'm learning Perl because it best allows me to get a particular job done. So far, I kinda like it. Hopefully, after I learn a bit, I'll have new chances to use it.
 

Programming Pearls of Wisdom I've been Given

• Ninety percent of the cost of a program is maintaining it over its lifetime.
• Spend the Time to Design. A problem fixed in design costs practically nothing.
• Before computers, most of this stuff was done by rooms of little old ladies. Always remember that there still are times when that is the right solution.
• You can almost always depend on laziness. If you make it easier to your users to use the system the way you want them to then to do what you don’t want them to do, they’ll use it correctly.
  (The exception is writing systems for programmers to use. These folks will try anything, no matter how much more work, just to see what happens.)
• My first program took an hour to the point where it gave me the correct answer. It took 9 more hours to get it to the point where a complete idiot could only get the right answer. There’s a lesson here, just not sure what it is.
• Write code that the dumbest guy in the shop can read, understand and fix correctly at 3am without calling you.

APS

A structured COBOL Generator, almost a language in itself. This one pays my bills, so I can't say what I really think about it...

Assembler

When it has to be fast, it's the only language. Fortunately, it's usually cheaper to buy a faster system then to write systems in Assembler. (Flavours: PDP-11, Z-80 & IBM BAL.  But don't tell anyone!)

Basic

At it's best, it still tends towards spaghetti.

COBOL

Wordy, ugly. Still the best (IMHO) if you anticipate your code will last more then a few years or so.

EXEC

My first language. It always has a place in my heart, just no place where I can still use it.

Easytrieve

Perhaps the worst of all choices, always.

REXX

One of my favourites. One of these days I'm going to get time and opportunity to learn/use NetREXX.