[edw519]

I'd rather hire a smart person and teach them X then hire someone who knows everything about X but lacks creativity, logic, and reasoning.

This!

That one sentence pretty much addressed all of your questions and concerns. So instead on hacking the apparent process, read that sentence again and get it. This is pretty much an absolute truth in almost any industry for almost any skill. It's especially true in tech because:

  - "X" will be different in 2 years anyway.
  - "X" will be VERY different in 4 years.
  - Well funded companies want long-term talent.
  - Start-ups seeking their place want long-term talent.
  - Companies with long-term vision want long-term talent.
  - A jack of all trades is usually better than a master of one.
  - If it's so complicated to learn, it's too complicated to use.

[rondon]

I've done very little HTML,CSS but I feel confident that I could become proficient as a front-end dev. But it is going to take months. I assume you are saying that these companies are hiring based on expected performance at 1+ years. They don't expect the person who gets the job to be making major front end code changes the first month?

[pmiller2]

How does one go about identifying these companies that are willing to invest in smart people who might not have experience in LibraryVersion 2.1.9 or something?