[mathgeek]

> Today? No way can get away without knowing the language.

Maybe not in the word of startups and Silicon Valley, but there are tons of jobs for web developers across the world where simple jQuery knowledge will make you the best front end developer at your company.

That's not to say it's a good things. It's just a fact of life for many companies. Anyone better than that will leave before long for the greener pastures that you're referring to.