From browsing internet forums and listening to friends it seems that a popular approach to bettering oneself as a software engineer is to "learn the latest technologies". However, with so many new technologies to choose from, how will I know which ones will benefit me long term? This reminds me of the Red Queen hypothesis [0], learning new stuff just to keep up.

I suppose the stereotypical example is the web development space with its many frameworks (Reactjs, Nextjs, Svelte, Remix). I notice this as well with programming languages such as Go, Rust, Julia, Dart, and Kotlin.

On the flip side, I wonder if mastering the fundamentals and the things that will not change in the next 50 years is a wiser approach. This is inspired by the ideas of Jeff Bezos and Warren Buffett [1, 2]. If this is true in technology, then I wonder what are those things that will not change in the next 50 years?

I also wonder how the Lindy Effect [3] applies to technology. Would it be more worthwhile to strive for a high level of proficiency in decades-old languages such as Java and C++, or focus instead on promising languages such as Go and Rust? Reading Dan McKinley's article on Choose Boring Technology [4] nudges me in the direction of focusing on more mature technologies.

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Queen_hypothesis

[1] https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/966699-i-very-frequently-get-the-question-what-s-going-to-change

[2] https://fs.blog/staying-the-same/

[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lindy_effect

[4] https://mcfunley.com/choose-boring-technology