First of all, I am done learning. Wait, hear me out.
The tech industry always has something new to offer and if one is not careful (like I was), they can fall into the trap of unending learning without mastering anything.
Sure, you know (the basics of) frameworks X, Y, and Z and you are learning your fourth JavaScript framework. And then what?
Don't get me wrong, but with the way the Malawian job market is, it would be risky to solely focus on one technology—especially when one is in the early stages of their career or fresh out of college—since companies will always go for someone comfortable with multiple technologies.
Some Malawian companies would be even happier if they could find a whole IT Department in one person (a sad story for another day).
That said, I noticed that I was familiar with a lot of things but wasn't as good as I should have been at any of them. When I say “master,” I mean being so confident in a programming language or framework that I can solve 80-90% of the problems thrown my way with that single technology.
This is why I have so much respect for PHP/Laravel developers. They learned and stuck with it, and you will never hear them complain. My mentor and developer, Sam Yute, who I truly respect, has never complained about Laravel.
With that, I have decided to narrow my options:
Mobile Development
For Mobile Development I'm sticking with Flutter (cross-platform) and Swift (native). Initially, I wanted to focus on React Native but I think it's time I move on from the “React Ecosystem”.
70% of my learning time will be dedicated to becoming a better Flutter/Swift developer.
Web Development
The reason why I have stayed in the web development path for so long is solely because it's easier to find a client who wants a website than it is to find a client who wants a mobile app.
Because of this, I am sticking with Next.js and Astro as the only web technologies I will use this year.
It's safe to say that Astro was the last web technology I learned.
Supabase
When I switched from Firebase to Supabase, I fell in love with it from day one. (Another story for another day).
Sanity.io
I am not going to lie, this alone deserves a post of its own because it has solved all my CMS needs. With so much to offer out of the box while also being highly customizable, there is a reason why I was left with no choice but to migrate to it after some of my clients were also satisfied with it.
If you are a front-end developer with a deadline, Sanity is the right choice for you.
Chess
Outside of development, my new goal is to get better at chess. Why? Peer pressure from Chisomo Chiweza lol. I am still a beginner at the very bottom of the food chain and this is what I have learned about chess so far.
Learning to Say “No”
Lastly, and probably the crucial skill that will make my plans happen is learning to say “No”. Not everything is worth learning (immediately), and not every freelance work is worth my time if it requires more time to bring the clients' work to life.
Unless what the client wants aligns with my current skill set and my 2025 tech stack or programming goals, it is not worth accepting.
I came to this decision after reading Jeremiah Chienda’s blog post: 'The "Telala Effect”'. If you are a developer I highly recommend that you read it if you haven't already.