Good to know, huale5062, thanks for the suggestion.
Every industry has its own needs naturally. For that, we have some predefined Disciplines. See the image below.
Good knowledge in Fusion will undoubtedly provide you with the needed motivation to explore the Node Based Material System. Going by the number of questions so far, since its introduction, there seems to be a nearly equal openness to it than to Xpresso.
I see it often that the field is somewhat split, with a smaller overlap, between layer-based compositing and node-based. Thinking back on my first year in After Effects (v3.1, 1996), it was somewhat intimidating, not only based on that DIY design aesthetic of the interface back then. As everyone using it for a few years, there is a familiarity given, of course.
With the rise of Shake (1996), Fusion (1996) and Nuke (1993), there was, of course, a steep learning curve, but familiarity settles in as well. Yes, I agree, and it has undoubtedly to do with how much success everyone had with previous decisions to use layers, or nodes, perhaps both as “tool”.
My point, thanks for bringing that up, and sharing as well that you use Fusion. My little memory-lane part was given with the intention that you feel understood, and that questions regarding VFX will find an open ear here (I took nearly 100 courses over the past decade at FXPHD alone).
Enjoy your exploration