There’s a pattern in the way people grow. At first it’s just “I’ll try whatever seems fun,” or “this seems popular, I’ll try it.” Next, the mentality “I know this tool well, and this is the right tool.” And again, there’s “This tool is better than other tools.” At this point, you have a choice: you either stay in the “this is the best tool and nothing can replace it” category, or you change your thinking to realize that the tool doesn’t matter.
Why am I talking about tools? Because programming languages, frameworks, server architectures–and your phone–are all just tools.
I firmly believe the aphorism “it’s not what you know, it’s how you use what you know.” For example, I no longer care what programming language I use, as long as I use it to some effect.
This could sound like an argument to not bother learning new things. “Don’t learn anything different, because we know this toolset very well. Why bother switching over to something else?” I propose that, instead, we shouldn’t restrict our lives because of what we currently know.
I suggest we should try new tools, figure out what they’re good for, and use our judgement to assign the right tool to the job.
Plus, without learning new things, we’d feel stuck. And no one likes feeling stuck, right?