"I ruled out Java because it seems like every computer science major already knows it, making it more competitive." Incorrect. There are more Java and .Net pos

"I ruled out Java because it seems like every computer science major already knows it, making it more competitive." Incorrect. There are more Java and .Net positions out there, and people hire for experience, so as soon as you have any measurable experience, you have a good chance of finding a job. Java usually pays more than PhP/Ruby/Python, and so does .Net. CS majors have an edge for a short amount of time over the long haul of a developer's career. Not having a CS/MS CS/PhD CS can get in the way of getting some jobs, but apply to them anyway. Experience usually counts more than education, except for places like Google that have insane interviews. If you want job security and to be able to work anywhere, go Java and/or .Net. As part of Java and learning the JVM, you have a good base for JRuby, Android (like a specialized Java subset), Groovy/Grails (Java-based), Scala (runs on JVM), and Clojure (runs of JVM).