[ameen]

> Do you know what a binary tree is? The difference between a merge sort and a quick sort? What the singleton pattern is, and why and when you should use it? If you can’t answer one or all of those questions, then it’s time to start learning the techniques.

A thousand times this, I'd respect a programmer who can do this and a lot more in a single language, rather than FizzBuzz on 10 different languages.

Even though being a polyglot helps (and provides different perspectives to solving problems - OO, functional, etc), a decent level of knowledge needs to be in place for that perspective to resort to anything of use.

[TheBiv]

Yes this would help for optimizing a giant site, but the author is referencing codeschool...that is like throwing a middle school football player into the NFL. Some things truly don't need that level of CS proficiency now-a-days.