https://fpdk.github.io/?s=0301102333405062708390x13001223314350607080x23031321334051x33031023304050#Despite not having many armour-boosting personal skills, it's still so, because of Field Repairs 3 and and Safety Procedures 3; now ships will regenerate some damage between deployments and if I lose them, it hurts less.
All skills are maxed out, since I want some level 3s from all aptitudes.
In combat, Ordnance Expertise, Target Analysis, Impact Mitigation and Evasive action all provide nice things to have and I have run out of things in Leadership and Technology to spend them on. I do not take Defensive Systems 3, since I don't fly phase ships and hard flux dissipation is a joke.
All I want from Leadership are three fleetwide-boosting skills and Officer Management (at least some degree of it) and they are all worth it.
Technology has the highest density of skills I want, ranging from some QoL stuff, through universal and useful combat skills, arriving at another two fleet-boosting skills. I pick tech up most often just because all options there need a justification against picking them, not for.
Industry is a nice tree and if I could, I would pick Salvaging 3, but alas. Maybe if I got rid off of Officer Management... But it's mainly for early game. Anyway, Safety Procedures is here partially for QoL stuff, partially for making d-mods hurt less, while Field Repairs are there partially to make d-mods hurt my wallet less, partially for the repair exploit (?).