📈 Why Now is the Best Time To Learn to Code

CSS scroll tricks, AI job hacks, JPEG nostalgia, and the surprising rise of SQL games.

Author

Journals GG
June 23, 2025

Hey there.

Welcome to Full Stack Focus. 👋 

Here’s everything you need to know this week in the world of full-stack development.

Programming

📉 Why 51% of Engineering Leaders Believe AI Is Impacting the Industry Negatively
A recent LeadDev report highlights a growing unease among engineering leaders toward AI, with 51% now viewing it negatively, a notable jump from 42% the previous year. This rising skepticism appears linked to a broader issue: team motivation is slipping, with 38% of leaders saying morale is down, compared to just 14% reporting improvements. Gregor explores these trends and offers insights into the root causes behind the shift in sentiment.

💼 Use AI to land your dream Job
Land your dream job faster with AIApply. Their AI instantly creates tailored resumes, cover letters, and follow-up emails that match each job description. Apply to more positions in less time, with personalized applications that get noticed by recruiters. Turn hours of application work into minutes. *

🤔 When 'Good Enough' is Actually Good Enough
When faced with adding search to a small blog, Christian chose a quick, hacky solution over more polished options like Algolia or full-text search. With only ~50 posts and minimal need for robust functionality, simplicity and speed won out over complexity and cost. The result? A lightweight widget that gets the job done without overengineering.

📈 Now might be the best time to learn software development
Nathan explores the surreal new reality of coding alongside AI agents, juggling humor, gym breaks, and a growing existential crisis. Despite fears that LLMs might replace developers, he argues the opposite: now is the best time to learn software development. Through snark, analogies, and a dose of optimism, he paints a picture of a future where devs adapt, not disappear.

🎮️ 5 Best SQL Games to Master Database Skills in 2025
Tired of dry SQL tutorials, this site highlights five engaging SQL games that teach database skills through mysteries, survival challenges, and competitive puzzles. These interactive experiences offer a refreshing alternative to textbooks, making SQL click for countless developers.

Front-End

🤯 Show me your most clever one-liner of code and describe what it does
This Reddit post shares clever one-liners for web devs, featuring CSS tricks, fun JavaScript snippets, and handy shortcuts. It's a mix of practical tips and playful code.

🐁 A guide to Scroll-driven Animations with just CSS
Saron explores the evolution of CSS animations, highlighting how they've progressed from simple color changes to scroll-driven effects, now achievable without heavy JavaScript or third-party tools. Thanks to growing browser support, including Safari 26 beta, developers can now create visually engaging animations with just a few lines of CSS.

🤔 Connect any React application to an MCP server in three lines of code
Cloudflare now lets developers deploy a remote MCP server with one click, supporting the latest standards and used by companies like Atlassian and PayPal. Alongside this, they’ve open-sourced two tools: use-mcp, a React library for easy client integration, and the AI Playground, a platform to interact with MCP servers using LLMs.

(also read the story on MCP vulnerabilities in the AI section)

🖼️ Why JPEGs Still Rule the Web
Ernie reflects on the JPEG’s rise as the web’s dominant image format, noting it wasn’t the first, but became essential due to its graceful degradation, compression strength, and status as a true open standard. Unlike the de facto GIF, JPEG was engineered collaboratively and scaled well for both dial-up modems and professional photography. Its legacy highlights how standards shape the web’s evolution.

AI

More Tools & Stories

Have a great week, see you the same time next week!

- Full Stack Focus team :)