By now, you’ve probably figured out that my mindset is permanently wired to “always be learning.” It doesn’t matter what I’m working on, what role I’m playing, or where I am in my career—I truly believe there’s always something new to absorb. And if you’re not learning, you’re wasting precious time.
I approach work with this lens across the board. It might be something technical buried in a block of code. Or it might be something completely outside my area—how the company handles operations, marketing, customer support, product management. If I can get even a sliver of context from it, I want to see it. I don’t need to be the loudest voice in the room—I just want to learn.
I ask questions. I listen in. I try to absorb things, even when they don’t fall under “my responsibility.” I’m not being nosey; I’m training my brain to connect dots that normally don’t sit in the same puzzle. And more often than not, it pays off later when I least expect it. But something’s been bugging me lately.
I realised I’ve been looking forward too much—chasing the new, the shiny, the trending. A new framework drops, and I’m in the docs. A new tool launches, and I’m already on the playground. That’s how we’re wired as developers, especially in a fast-moving industry like ours. But lately, I’ve started wondering… what if I’ve been neglecting something important?
What if the stuff I’ve already learned—the fundamentals I filed away years ago—are actually more valuable now than ever?
So, around Christmas, I started a small experiment. Nothing extreme. Just a few short study sessions each week, usually with a cup of coffee and a bit of quiet. I went back to old-school programming concepts. The CS101 things we’re supposed to “already know.” Algorithms. JS fundamentals. Patterns I use daily without even realising they’re patterns.
At first it felt weird, like opening a school book after years in the field. But then something clicked. Looking at these basics with the eyes of someone who’s been working professionally for over a decade gave me a new level of understanding. I could suddenly see what I missed the first time around. And because I’ve got more experience now, I noticed connections I wouldn’t have caught back then. It wasn’t just review—it was refinement.
It also boosted one of the things I pride myself on: being able to jump into new projects, stacks, or languages without too much drama. Strengthening the foundation made those pivots feel smoother. I had more confidence, more clarity. Less guesswork.
I’m not saying you need to pause everything and start from scratch. But there’s a lot of value in occasionally slowing down and going deep on something you think you already know. Do it just for you, to understand it better. To sharpen your tools.
And if you’re just getting started, don’t stress about knowing the trendiest stack. Focus on your base. Stay curious. Build solid habits. And don’t be ashamed to look something up—even if it’s something you “should” already know.
Learning never stops. And dev life? Dev life is just regular life—but on steroids.