[kleiba]

I didn't downvote you, but I could imagine it is because your comment does not actually address the point made by the OP: which is that you can learn new tech that is not applied in your job only on a theoretical level, but you will not be able to claim applied knowledge of it on your resume.

I think though that there's other ways to apply new things you learn than just in your job. Open source projects come to mind, of course.

However, that raises a related point: if our field one where it's a necessity to spend a substantial amount of hours in addition to your day job (for both studying new tech and finding ways to apply it) just to stay relevant for the job market?

[mbrodersen]

Well I disagree with that. The skills you learn in your spare time are 100% applicable to the job you are after as long as you make sure you solve “real” problems when learning it. Otherwise logically it would be impossible for anybody to get a first job since they (with no previous job) doesn’t have any skills :) I more than once have gotten a job based on skills I learned outside of work. I just made sure I could clearly demonstrate that I had the skills.

[kleiba]

I know what you mean but keep in mind that the kind of jobs you can score as a newbie are - for that very reason - also quite limited.

But just to be clear: no-one claimed that you cannot learn any new skills outside you work. The point was really more about the difficulty of demonstrating that you actually have said skills, and not just say you do.