If a dev can't work with Clojure, I'd be pretty suspect about their coding ability in general. I have yet to work with somebody who couldn't pick it up in a few weeks or so.
I’ve been doing c, c++, and objC for over 20 years and am just getting started with Clojure. Sure, it’s easy to understand the basics of clojure in a few weeks but it’s going to take me a while to stop thinking imperstively and objected oriented. Mutating everything is programmed in me at this point. I think it’s going to take me months to get decent at Clojure if not a year. I’m sold in the ideas but it’s not easy if you have been doing imperative style programming . I’d bet it’s almost easier for a novice to pick up Clojure
It's different when you're learning on your own and when somebody is teaching you. If you're a company hiring new developers, then you already have people familiar with the language to ramp them up. When we hire new people, we do some pairing, and we do code review on pull requests for features.
I also agree that it's sometimes easier for novices to pick up the language. I've seen students become productive faster than people with a lot of background in imperative style.
If a dev is dumb enough to advocate clojure, I'd be pretty suspect about their coding ability in general. I have yet to work with a decent programmer who liked it.
