C, Java, and JavaScript would have been a good choice 10 or even 20 years, and they're still a good choice today. They'll be around forever, and at the forefront of innovation.
JavaScript didn't exist 20 years ago, so if you chose it 20 years ago you were quite prescient! (First released as LiveScript in 1995.) These things do change more quickly than people realize...
Same with Java, actually (first public release was in 1995 as well).