Productivity is about producing something. You can read up on "all the latest" all you want but until you actually produce something with it, consider it just

Productivity is about producing something. You can read up on "all the latest" all you want but until you actually produce something with it, consider it just entertainment reading. You may start to notice that technologies don't change all that much. Sure you may hear about some new shiny thing - the question to ask yourself is will it help you produce something faster, with more quality or help in some way? Or is it just new and shiny? A lot of your questions focus on what other people are doing... what is it that you want to do? Specific answers: 1. Learn ML and AI for what? what are you going to produce with it? How would that apply to your field? My guess is 95% of software engineers have no use for this since we are doing Information Systems, not science. Where is the line between logic tree and ML/AI? 2. Master's Degree. This is a good way to get into debt. Sure you can tick a box on the resume that states Masters Degree. Try to get your employer to pay. I doubt this will advance your career at all. 3. Get a life - yes - do more of that. There is way more to life than writing software. Find things that interest you outside of tech. 4. Startup: not a way to financial independence. Read stuff on this site - talk to people about what % of companies get to an IPO/buyout stage vs ones that fail (if that is your measure stick) Keeping up with stuff I answered above - a lot of it is just noise. The way to become financially secure/independent is to reduce your spending and save money. Google Mr. Money Mustache for some good reads on that.