Do I really need to learn Tailwind CSS if I’m comfortable with regular CSS?

You already answered your own question! Some companies need Tailwind experience, while others don't. If you find it too challenging, focus on applying to places that stick to conventional CSS.

Honestly, I've been working as a web developer for a year and never had to use Tailwind. It's not essential for everyone!

I get where you're coming from! The key is to understand why Tailwind is used. Try looking at a few projects that use it effectively and maybe build a small project yourself. You might find you really dislike it, which is good to know for future job choices. If you haven't already, check out Shadcn/UI – it combines Tailwind with a headless framework in a cool way. And definitely install the Tailwind extension for VS Code; it can help you a lot by showing you the CSS for classes when you hover over them.

If you've got a good grasp of CSS, you can use Tailwind without diving deep into it—just look things up as needed. Claiming to be familiar with it during interviews could be enough. Personally, my project uses Tailwind and it's popular, but I still find it a hassle to deal with in my work.

Remember, Tailwind is just CSS with utility classes. If you understand CSS, you only need to learn the names of the utility classes. If you don’t enjoy working with it, there's no obligation to use it.