I Follow Web Dev Trends So Recruiters Don’t Have To

Source: Dev.to | Dec 28, 2025 (UTC)

Every few months, the web dev world collectively decides we’re all doing things wrong again.
Right now it’s:
AI everywhere
Rust everywhere
WebAssembly everywhere
Low-code “replacing developers” everywhere

Recruiters see these words on resumes all day.
So instead of listing them, I tried something radical.
I asked: What did these trends actually teach me as an engineer?

AI Didn’t Turn Me Into a 10x Dev

It Turned Me Into a Better Reviewer

AI can write code faster than I can.
That’s fine.
What it can’t do is explain why the code is shaped the way it is.

Using AI taught me three things fast:

• If I can’t review it, I shouldn’t ship it
• “It works” is not a quality bar
• Bad systems + AI = faster disasters

AI didn’t replace my job.

It made thinking non-optional.

Rust and WebAssembly Taught Me Humility

Rust promised safety.

The compiler delivered emotional damage first.
WebAssembly promised performance.

Tooling reminded me reality exists.

What I learned:

• Performance is useless if users don’t feel it
• Safety is great once you understand the cost
• Shiny tech doesn’t save unclear design

Trends are fun.

Shipping is sobering.

Low-Code Didn’t Kill My Skills

It Killed My Excuses

Low-code removed the boring parts.
Which meant I couldn’t hide behind boilerplate anymore.

What was left?

• Architecture decisions
• Data flow
• Edge cases
• Things breaking at 2 AM Low-code didn’t reduce my value. It raised the bar.

What I Actually Optimize For Now

Instead of chasing tools, I optimize for:

• Code someone else can understand
• Systems that survive change
• Decisions that age well
• Fewer “we’ll fix it later” moments

I still learn new tech.
I just don’t confuse novelty with progress.

For Recruiters (HEYYYYYYY)

Anyone can list stacks.

What teams really need are engineers who:

• Learn fast without breaking things
• Ask annoying but important questions
• Think in systems, not snippets
• Can explain their code without sweating

That’s the kind of engineer I’m trying to be.

If that sounds useful, we’ll probably get along.