> many people who use Matlab are something else first.
Pretty much, they're lab techs, engineers, physicists, etc. who gather and work with data as a primary role more so than programmers.
> convince me the typical employer wants to hear 1 over 2.
I can't, typically they're indifferent and they'll even take someone who has worked mainly with R.
In my own experience a typical employer who asks about Matlab is seeking numerically competant employees to work with data, to create and look at plots and graphs, to run simulations, etc.
They're typically more concerned with a prospects potential to do the role than they are with the specific tools used in the past, and will generally ask if prospects think they can work with in house tools or about the cost of bring tools the prospect wants to use in house.
