[jk215]

Im basically in the same boat as you "jack of all trades master of none" and decided I want to go further into back-end programming. I started working on a HN "clone" using Codeigniter (with freely available online tutorials). I opted to stick with PHP for now because I am already familiar with it to a degree and its ease of implementation. I really just wanted to get down to work and be able to test it using my local dev environment and my simple shared hosting account. I decided to stay away from RoR / Python/Django for now just because it would mean learning new syntax on top of learning how to use MVC. Once Im finished with this I plan on venturing out from PHP.

[Andrenid]

I've done a fair bit with PHP but never to the point of writing my own projects, just modifying/tweaking existing stuff (my days are mostly filled with WordPress and Drupal sites, and some custom made PHP/MySQL apps). I'm definitely open to learning a PHP framework but just looking into them is scary... there are SO many, and everyone swears that one is better than the other, with no discernible "winner" of the bunch.