Ask HN: What skills do you want to develop or improve in 2026?

Hacker News Discussion ↗

Making Money, Careers, and Independence

  • Many want to “learn to make money,” shifting from selling time to building products, hiring, or starting businesses.
  • Several plan indie hacking or launching solo products/SaaS, but identify gaps in sales, marketing, and “shipping” as key skills to develop.
  • Some mid‑career engineers feel trapped in CRUD/corporate work and want to move toward deeper systems work (compilers, OS, infra, trading systems) or new domains (solar, firefighting, manufacturing).
  • A subthread debates stock trading: one person frames it as a lucrative skill; others argue data shows most traders underperform index funds and that long‑term broad index investing is usually superior.

Technical Skills People Want to Build

  • Popular themes: learning new languages (Rust, Go, C/C++, Zig, Kotlin, Python), web development, infra (AWS/CDK, Linux, Kubernetes), data engineering, AI/LLM products, and deep learning compilers.
  • Many aim to go “lower level”: OS in Forth or Oberon, FPGA/Verilog and OFDM/ATSC3, electronics and PCB design, reverse‑engineering, embedded systems, and homelab/self‑hosting.
  • Others focus on applied domains: GenAI security, MLOps, game dev, audio programming, and LLM‑backed tools (agents, AI voice, prime prediction experiments).

AI and Coding Productivity

  • Some report massive productivity gains from coding with LLMs and plan to stop writing most code themselves; others find AI often slower, error‑prone, and needing heavy supervision.
  • There’s debate on delegation to LLMs: useful for explanations, tests, boilerplate, and brainstorming, but trust, correctness, and performance remain concerns.
  • A few want to reduce dependence on LLMs to retain or improve their own skills.

Focus, Mental Health, and Life Balance

  • Many highlight improving focus and time management, often mentioning ADHD‑like symptoms, phone distraction, and burnout.
  • Exercise (lifting, calisthenics, swimming, climbing, archery) is repeatedly tied to better mood and reduced depression; therapists and structured workouts are recommended.
  • Some explicitly want to prioritize health, sleep, and “being bored” over relentless productivity.

Non‑Technical Skills, Hobbies, and Relationships

  • Common goals: learning instruments (piano, sax, drums), languages (Spanish, Ukrainian, Persian, Chinese, Kannada, Latin), driving (especially for travel), and better communication/social skills.
  • Others focus on creative or physical crafts: drawing, embroidery, woodworking, bonsai, gardening/soil, bonsai care, 3D printing and CAD, welding, bonsai, and shuffle dance.
  • Several mention building deeper relationships, expanding social circles, or finding romantic partners as central “skills” for 2026.