Instead of trying to learn a PHP framework, try learning how to build modules/plugins for a popular CMS. You get a lot of functionality out-of-the-box with a CMS (Drupal, Wordpress, etc.), and a lot of different theme options (themeforest.net). Additionally, using a CMS is going to be much more secure than creating a web app with a framework from scratch - especially as a beginner. Furthermore, there are many, many 3rd party modules/plugins that you can use instead of building everything from scratch. Once you learn how to build modules/plugins the right way, you will be surprised how much creative latitude you have working inside a CMS.