> but every time I start I get overwhelmed with what stack I should use, and how to actually get a ‘real’ application out. It’s hard to explain. I have a lot of

> but every time I start I get overwhelmed with what stack I should use, and how to actually get a ‘real’ application out. It’s hard to explain. I have a lot of anxiety and analysis paralysis about this. don't we all suffer from Imposter Syndrome in one way or another? Why not try to go back to the basics. Don't beat yourself up, or pressure yourself. I would do research on a specific stack I like first and what I want to learn more about. Then dive into that very deep. The more I learn about the stack the easier it is to find ways to apply the stacks advantage in specific use-cases. Then try to build something based on that. It's sort of the reverse what I would "normally" do, but more fun because I allow myself to tinker and make mistakes (or do something outrageous, just for the sake of proofing it's possible to do it with that technology). Usually the decision what I build automatically emerges in that process. if unsure if floating or swimming why not float[1] for a while? [1] from Hunter S. Thompson’s Letter on Finding Your Purpose and Living a Meaningful Life https://fs.blog/2014/05/hunter-s-thompson-to-hume-logan/ https://fs.blog/2014/05/hunter-s-thompson-to-hume-logan/ > And indeed, that IS the question: whether to float with the tide, or to swim for a goal. It is a choice we must all make consciously or unconsciously at one time in our lives. So few people understand this! Think of any decision you’ve ever made which had a bearing on your future: I may be wrong, but I don’t see how it could have been anything but a choice however indirect— between the two things I’ve mentioned: the floating or the swimming. ps: for me one of the most soul crushing and mind-numbing things is having to wrap some fragile REST endpoints into my app. Doing so can quickly get results and I understand why people do it, but in a side project I rather learn what a specific IETF/RFC or academic paper is about and then do something with that. The experience/knowledge from that is IMO much more valuable than being able to hammer out 3rd party API's in whatever language.