Is the race for new tools a dead end?

Every year, tech blogs and conferences come up with dozens of new names: Bun, SolidJS, Qwik, Elixir, Zig, Astro, HTMX. It feels like if you don’t keep up with all of this, you’re falling behind. But the truth is that most of these tools never make it beyond the enthusiast community. Some “hot” technologies quickly become obsolete, while others simply don’t catch on in the industry. There are plenty of examples: who uses Meteor.js or CoffeeScript today? Programmers who fall into the trap of constantly learning new things often lose depth: they know a little bit about everything, but can’t do anything consistently and well. So it’s important to ask yourself an honest question: am I learning this because I need to, or am I just afraid of falling behind?

What doesn't become obsolete for decades

If you look closely at the strongest and most sought-after developers, they all have one thing in common - a deep understanding of the basics. Here are a few "eternal" areas that provide real flexibility: • Algorithms and data structures - from lists to trees, hash tables and graphs • Basic principles of OOP and FP - encapsulation, inheritance, pure functions, closures • Software architecture - layered models, SOLID, design patterns • Working with networks and memory - understanding what threads, sockets, caches, stack and heap are • Computer systems and operating principles - how a compiler works, what a garbage collector does, how system calls work Knowledge of these things is not tied to any specific language or trend - they are relevant in any project, in any environment, and help to understand what is happening under the hood.

How to study smart, not out of fear of falling behind

To study effectively, you can rely on the 70/20/10 strategy used in advanced learning: • 70% — fundamental knowledge: delve into the theory and practice that makes you stronger in the long term. Algorithms, architecture, systems thinking. • 20% — your main stack: study what you use at work or plan to use. React, Django, Go, Kotlin, Docker, PostgreSQL — everything that helps you do real tasks. • 10% — research: do not refuse new technologies, just give them a small but stable share of attention. This is your zone of experiments and hobbies. This approach helps not to panic because of the rapid growth of the industry, but at the same time stay informed and not freeze.

What to really learn in 2025

In 2025, programming has long been about more than just code. Here's what you should pay attention to if you want to be a sought-after and flexible specialist: • Working with AI/ML tools. You don't have to be a neural network specialist, but the ability to use Copilot, ChatGPT, and similar assistants is already part of reality. • Reading and writing other people's code. Teamwork is more important than ever. Writing beautifully is not only about style, but about support, scale, and documentation. • Engineering thinking and criticality. The ability to not just "google a solution", but to understand why it works. Why is this method bad? What can it turn out to be in 2 years? • Understanding of business and product. The best developers understand why they write code, who needs it, and what is the point of it. This is a real senior qualification. Conclusion In a world where something new appears every day, the key superpower of a programmer is not knowledge of the next framework, but the ability to adapt and learn deeply. Learn the fundamentals, develop your engineering thinking, don't be afraid of new tools - but build your knowledge like a house: from a solid foundation, not from a facade.