The Fear of Obsolescence
"It changes so fast. I've got to stay up on it."
That phrase, above all others, captures the essence of the problem. The rapid rate of change in technology forces technologists to continually study and learn. In fact, in prior chapters, I point to this as one of the most desirable elements in technology: the need for continuous learning.
However, this need for continuous learning can quickly become a burden if you fear that you are on the verge of losing your technical edge and moving into obsolescence. The learning process starts to become viewed as "treading water" professionally speaking—keeping you from drowning, rather than adding value.
This drive to continuously add to your technical skill set and predict and learn the next wave of technology supersedes the acquisition of the soft skills mentioned in other chapters. Although most technologists admit to the importance of soft skills, they feel that there is simply too much learning on their plate—they can take on only so much. Soft skills development is sacrificed because of this.