That's my issue with studying new things to further my career. There are SO MANY things. What should I pick? Also, most HR and headhunters say "Only on-the-j

That's my issue with studying new things to further my career. There are SO MANY things. What should I pick? Also, most HR and headhunters say "Only on-the-job experience counts. If you learned it on your own, we don't value it." After a few weeks, you'd get better at it. Unfortunately, employers want someone who's already an expert. They aren't comfortable letting someone learn on the job, even if searching for their purple squirrel means the position is open for longer. I got something done in a couple of hours with the "old-fashined" style, when it probably would have taken me weeks to learn a framework for a simple task. For a personal project, the plain style is fine. Most of these MVC frameworks are poorly documented and poorly written. I've used several that I didn't like. I wouldn't use an MVC framework for my own projects. To find a job, they expect you to already be an expert in whatever they are using. The only way to expand your skillset seems to be: Pick something you want to learn, and use it for a project at work, even if it isn't the right choice for your current employer's needs.