You're Only a Few Months Behind

There’s an anxiety that’s creeping into software engineers lately. Models are shipping every other week. The software engineering tool everyone was talking about last month has been deprecated for something new. Engineers who have always maintained a running list of tech are now overwhelmed by the sheer volume of bullet points getting added to that list. Engineering Managers are trying to keep up both to help their teams and also to keep their own skills up-to-date.

I hear it in the hallways. I read it online. The feeling of being left behind by all the latest is nearly tactile.

But in the mess of new technologies and anxious feelings is the good news. You are only a few months behind. This is all only a couple of years old. The technology is uniquely nascent. And whatever was state-of-the-art a year ago has since been wiped away by something newer. The latest and greatest is building on itself. And the ground you feel slipping under your feet is actually slipping under everyone’s feet.

You’re only a few months behind. And when was the last time in your career you were only a few months behind?