Yeah.

www.paulgraham.com/pypar.html In Python Paradox, the author argues that it's a signal of quality that someone would take the time/effort to learn Python. (Python is new and wouldn't land them a job).

Now in 2019, Python is popular. But I think it's fair to say instead that Rust wouldn't be a good choice if you wanted to get a job using a language which is popular in the industry.

From my experience people learning Rust are not people who are learning a language to get a job. They are usually experienced developers with jobs who know at least couple of languages, and learn Rust to expand their toolbox.

I'm learning Rust because:

1. I want to add a low(er) level language to the ones I already know and use.

2. Though I did some C/C++ in high school, getting really into depth with C++ at the moment seems really daunting.

3. I don't need it for a job at this point so I can afford to learn a less popular language that can potentially have a future and which exposes you to new ways of thinking about code.

How common is it these days to hire for languages, anyway?

In my case with the devs I hire the only thing I care is that they want to work in a class of languages, like frontend or backend, and that they're not super picky.

I'm hiring people to solve problems for a living. I have full confidence that anyone I hire can learn any language I throw at them. My job (when hiring) is to make sure they'll want to work in the area, maybe a footnote about the language (if even known), but that's all.

Why does language matter so much to some people (as far as hiring goes).

It would be if you wanted to get a job with people who value developer ergonomics, though.