Why adaptability outlasts any tech stack
Leapfrog Technology, Inc.
Building digital experiences of tomorrow by innovating better, faster.
Written by: Sushan Raj Shakya , Principal Engineer
It was a quiet afternoon, and I had just reviewed another pull request. The code was clean, every test had passed, and the feature was ready to be merged. My day should have felt productive— satisfying, even— but it just felt flat.
I realized I was doing what I had done countless times before: working on a similar kind of problem, applying a known solution and using tools and patterns I had already mastered. I was performing, but I wasn’t growing.
That’s the tricky thing about the comfort zone. It feels safe, familiar and at times reassuring; but it can soon turn into quicksand if you’re not careful. The tools you’ve mastered today may not be relevant tomorrow. The architecture patterns you swear by might be outdated in a few years. And if you’ve never worked through ambiguity, it’ll hit hard when the day comes for you to power through.
As you read this article, you’ll find out how I came to terms with a simple notion: Staying still can be more dangerous than making the wrong move.
When the world outruns you
I’ve worked in this industry for almost a decade now, and in that time, I’ve seen the landscape change faster than I ever expected.
I’ve seen programming languages rise and fall like tech stock prices. JavaScript evolved from being dismissed as a “toy language” to powering billion-dollar applications. Monoliths giving way to microservices, only for some teams to rediscover their value. And now, AI has taken over so quickly that it has completely replaced our beloved stack overflow.
The industry is changing so rapidly that the skills which were once cutting-edge can be legacy in just a year.
Take the leap of faith
After a few years of working on a stable FinTech project where I knew the tech stack, domain and team inside out, I switched to leading a healthcare project. It had different regulations, different workflows, and different stakes. I didn’t have all the answers at the start, but I trusted that I could learn fast, ask the right questions, and adapt.
The first few weeks were nerve wracking. I had to do tons of research, prepare for the meetings and fill all the necessary gaps to feel confident and competent enough to fulfill my role. I had to learn all about new compliances, security risks and a new tech stack with a new team.
To put things into perspective, I had to adapt in a new environment. In hindsight, that adaptability proved to be more valuable than any single specialization ever could in my career. For me, growth did not come from the moment when I was certain of the success. It came by the moments when I felt unprepared, challenged and took the necessary action to be prepared.
Stepping out is hard, but not impossible
The difficulty isn’t just about learning new tech, it’s also about unlearning, and the need to feel competent all the time.
As engineers, we like the feeling of mastery. We enjoy being the go-to person who can solve problems quickly. But stepping into a new domain resets your expertise level to zero. Suddenly, you’re the one asking “basic” questions.
It’s uncomfortable. It’s humbling. And it’s exactly where the growth happens.
A new project means new clients and new challenges. Soon, it’s not just about building a product but also about building a good relationship with the clients and the team to contribute and leave a mark.
In retrospect, there is never a “perfect time” for learning new tools. One common excuse I always used to have was, “I’ll explore that new framework when I have more time.”
But here’s the uncomfortable truth: You will never have more time. The perfect moment to start is always now, because technology doesn’t stop evolving while you wait.
Think of it like deploying a feature—you can polish it forever, but at some point, it needs to go live. Learning and stepping out is the same. You can prepare endlessly but at some point, you just have to start building, experimenting, and breaking things.
Adaptability as a core skill
If there’s one lesson my journey has taught me, it’s that the real skill is learning to outgrow who you were yesterday.
Just like you can learn to write better code, you can learn to adapt faster. That means:
Adaptability compounds. The more frequently you stretch, the easier it becomes to stretch again.
Learning to surf the waves of change
New things like cloud computing, GenAI, and low-code platforms keep coming. You can’t control how quickly technology moves, but you can learn to keep up with it. The biggest tip I was ever given by one of my mentors is, “You cannot control the waves but learn to surf and you will always stay ahead of the waves”.
At Leapfrog, I’ve had the privilege of working on projects that required fast pivots from switching tech stack for a new feature to rethinking architecture mid-development. Those moments were stressful, but they also reminded me why I love this field. It rewards curiosity, resilience, and creativity and a sense of fulfillment when you achieve the goal.
Lessons I’ve learned
Over time, I’ve collected a few guiding principles for staying adaptable:
A challenge for you
If you’ve read this far, here’s my challenge: This week, deliberately step into something unfamiliar.
Don’t do it because it’s part of your job description, do it to step out of your comfort zone, learn new things, and to adapt to a new environment.
Finding comfort in the unknown
The comfort zone isn’t evil. It’s where we recharge, reflect, and apply what we’ve learned. But it’s not where we’re meant to live forever.
In software engineering and in life, the real breakthroughs happen just outside the edges of what feels safe. That’s where we find our next big skill, our next big opportunity, and sometimes, our next big adventure.
So here’s to being uncomfortable because in all honesty, that’s where the magic happens!
What are your thoughts on this piece? Let us know in the comments, or reach out to Sushan via LinkedIn.