>These are questions that I ask to myself before starting a new craft, such as learning Erlang. I mean, it is an interesting language and it is fun to play with

>These are questions that I ask to myself before starting a new craft, such as learning Erlang. I mean, it is an interesting language and it is fun to play with, but how much am I likely to utilize it in web applications, given that I currently focus on php? I would rather deepen my Zend Framework know-how to be able to tackle more large and rewarding php projects. Author is spot on that chasing the latest technology might not have an appropriate ROI. The difficulty is to find the correct balance between learning new technologies and enhancing old skills. IMHO anyone currently programming in PHP will be left behind in a few years. This is the time to start moving to RoR or Python/Django etc.. Keep your bread and butter skills but add some new skills gradually.