I think, a "good programmer" will not only write in the comments what one or two particular obscure lines do, but more importantly, he inserts a little paragraph describing the method of solving the problem and why he is doing it that way. That helps tremendously... because it's one thing to be able to write code. I'm a beginner at perl, and I feel like I can pretty much write anything I need at this moment, but reading and understanding a code that someone else has written requires a lot deeper knowledge of a language. I look at perl code that others have written, and it looks like a foreign language to me sometimes.
Anyone who knows a couple of programming languages already can easily pick up perl in a matter of weeks like I did. So, why are employers afraid of perl? They aren't afraid because someone can't learn to write perl; they're afraid because the next guy will have to be able to read perl. And reading requires a lot more studying and a lot greater knowledge. That's something you can't just learn in two weeks. You have to know all the various frameworks or libraries and intricacies of a language. That requires years of experience. That's why employers are afraid. BUT I think, if you write extensive comments in your perl programs, even a dummy will be able to understand what this program is for and why it does what it does. If you put that much effort into commenting, I think he will change his mind. Write an example program, and show it to him. Show him that even someone who knows nothing about perl can read it and understand it, because that's how you write perl code. He'll change his mind!
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