I'll start with php and then i'll go to java. i have an opportunity to get a sun's certification http://www.sun.com/training/certification/java/index.xml
A friend of mine says that python is the most Object-Oriented language - whatever it means I know Java but I can not compare this languages. dwayne12 - could you tell me why do you think Java is crap and python is better? Just give the specific example.
If you are on Windows and are planning on developing desktop applications, I would recommend C#. The development pace is great compared to C++, C, or related. While it does sacrifice performance later on, these days it hardly makes a difference with most projects.
Its my personal opinion that java programmer has always broader scope and good eye on object oriented... very strict and well designed code with java... not messy indeed.