How To Stay Current with New Tech Trends 😎
A list of ways to keep up with the ever-changing tech world 🌎
Hello Dev Friends!
Welcome to my first blog. 👋
I'm Nicole, a software developer who drinks too much coffee and loves to learn. I plan on blogging tips and tricks that I am learning along the way to help junior developers succeed in their coding journeys.
Today I wanted to share with you some ways I stay current with new technology and trends.
🤓 First I want to tell you that it can become overwhelming trying to keep up with all the trends and learning about every new thing. I recommend starting a list of new tech, languages, frameworks, libraries, etc you hear about and are interested in.
Then pick ONE you are really excited about and dive into deeper learning. A big mistake I made (and still do sometimes!) is trying to pile on many topics and study them all at once. That leads to fast burnout!
So start slow, learn enough about it to be able to explain it to someone else, or your rubber ducky, and then move on to the next.
🚫 You will never be able to stay on top of every new thing because as you know, tech moves fast. So, don't put unnecessary pressure on yourself. Keep it fun!
Here are some ways to learn about the trends:
🎙 PODCASTS
I love podcasts because you can have them on when driving, cooking, cleaning, walking and they are great ways to learn about what's going on in the current tech scene:
Hosts and Full Stack Developers Wes Bos and Scott Tolinski dive deep into web development topics, explaining how they work and talking about their own experiences. This podcast has new episodes many times a week, and I learn new things every episode.
Host Saron Yitbarek, founder of CodeNewbie, and Josh Puetz, principal engineer at Forem cover the latest in the world of tech and speak with diverse guests from a variety of backgrounds to dig deep into current tech topics.
Each show is 30mins and dedicated to giving you tech news that's easy to understand. Tom Merritt, Sarah Lane, and guests analyze the day's top tech headlines in a fun and informative way.
Every morning when getting my coffee ready, I listen to this 5 min podcast with hosts Rich Stroffolino and Jenn Cutter. They take you through the day’s major tech headlines giving you the essentials you need to know. A great way to start the day.
This podcast is amazing! Geared toward beginners, another great one from host Saron Yitbarek. In each episode, she interviews people from diverse backgrounds about their coding journeys, what they do now in tech and how they learned to get to where they are today. CodeNewbie also has an amazing community that fosters support and helps everyone that is learning to code.
Ok, not quite like the others on this list, but still relevant. Writing code is not all you need to be an awesome engineer, you also have to be a rad human. Dave Smith and Jamison Dance give weekly advice on your questions to help level up your skill beyond writing code.
This one is more about devices but has tech news as well. From Gizmodo, hosts Florence Ion and Caitlin McGarry, dive into key tech topics, from the devices they are testing to reviewing the week’s biggest tech news.
🗞 NEWSLETTERS
Newsletters are also good resources that are sent right to your inbox. They stay current and you can see the trends when you follow a few of them and notice they have similar headlines. Here are some I subscribe to:
This is a daily newsletter with bite-sized tech news for busy developers. They post short stories of interesting tech that's up and coming. I like to read this on my first break in the day.
If crypto news is your thing, they also have a newsletter for all current trends in the crypto ecosystem.
This is another quick read that covers business and tech news in 5 min or less.
Drones, automation, AI, and more. The technologies that will shape the future of business, all in one newsletter.
If daily emails are too much, check out this monthly newsletter, Bizarro Devs and they aim to give its readers a “newsletter with all the weird and wonderful tech news”.
👾 OPEN-SOURCE COMMUNITY
You can learn a lot of new technologies from exploring the open-source community. Following and contributing to an open-source project is a fantastic way to learn, and see what's coming next because they are often the first to adopt new technologies. Here are some ways to find new projects:
📝 TECH NEWS SITES AND BLOGS
I like reading tech blogs a couple of times a week, like here on HashNode to see what others are doing and the tech they are using. It's a great insight into the tech community and current hot topics.
daily.dev focuses on industry leading platforms so that you can be prepared for your next skill. Then they teach all they can about them. I recently downloaded their Chrome Extension, there you can filter out your favorite topics and see tech news all in one place. They also have an App if that's more your style.
Developer Tech offers the latest app developer news and strategy. Topics about coding, monetization, billing, marketing, and design, within the app development industry. They help developers by providing top-class practical content across many issues.
The Toptal Blog is the top hub for developers, designers, finance experts, executives, and entrepreneurs, featuring key technology updates, tutorials, freelancer resources, and management insights. I like this one because you can click on each topic you are interested in to have a filtered news feed.
Started by Ken Fisher in 1998, this editorial site is a trusted source for technology news and so much more. Written for a reader who not only needs to keep up on technology but is passionate about it.
This classic online newspaper focuses on startups and new tech. They also put on the popular Disrupt Conference each year for best and brightest entrepreneurs, investors, hackers, and tech fans.
Another classic, Hacker Noon is a huge community where developers can read and publish blogs. I like to check the Top Stories tab to see what's hot and new this week.
💭 Thank You!
I hope this list helped you find some new resources and if are there any of your favorites I missed please add them in the comments so we can keep on top of all the new tech on the horizon. Thank you for checking it out! 🤩
Let's connect on Twitter