Six months ago I listed "Kubernetes" on my resume.
The truth? I watched a tutorial series, deployed one pod, and never touched it again. Could I debug a failing cluster in an interview? Absolutely not.
But it felt good to write "Kubernetes" on that skills list. It felt like progress. I was "learning."
Sound familiar?
The Problem
We all do this. We consume courses, watch tutorials, read documentation—and call it learning. Our skill lists grow. Our actual abilities don't.
I call it skill inflation: the gap between what we claim to know and what we can actually do.
The existing tools didn't help. Duolingo gave me streaks that made me feel accomplished while I forgot basic vocabulary. LinkedIn Learning gave me certificates for videos I half-watched. Every app was designed to make me feel good, not to show me the truth.
What I Wanted
A tool that would answer one honest question: What am I actually forgetting?
Not what courses I completed. Not how many days in a row I logged in. Not how I compare to other users.
Just: here are your skills, here's how fresh they are, here's what's decaying.
So I Built It
SkillFade tracks your skills and shows their freshness—a percentage that decays over time without practice.
- Finished a React course? Freshness starts at 50% (learning boost only).
- Built a React project? Now you're at 100%.
- Haven't touched React in 60 days? You're at 30% and dropping.
That's it. No badges. No streaks. No leaderboards. No AI telling you what to learn next.
Just data about what you're forgetting.
How It Works
- Add skills you want to track (Python, Docker, Spanish, whatever)
- Log events when you learn (watched a video) or practice (built something)
- Check freshness to see what's decaying
The dashboard shows everything at a glance:
- 🟢 Green = Fresh (>70%)
- 🟡 Yellow = Aging (40-70%)
- 🔴 Red = Decayed (<40%)
Optional email alerts (max 1/week) tell you when skills drop below your threshold.
What Makes It Different
Practice > Learning
Most apps treat all activity equally. SkillFade doesn't. Practice resets your freshness. Learning only slows decay.
This reflects reality: watching a Kubernetes video isn't the same as deploying a cluster.
No Gamification
No streaks to maintain. No badges to collect. No points to accumulate. Miss a week? Your freshness drops a bit. That's information, not punishment.
Privacy First
No tracking. No analytics. No data sharing. Full export and delete anytime. Your skill decay is nobody's business.
Calm Design
The app doesn't fight for your attention. No push notifications. No "come back!" emails. Log your stuff, check your freshness, leave.
Who It's For
- Developers maintaining multiple languages and frameworks
- Career switchers tracking new field knowledge
- Self-learners who want honest feedback
- Anyone tired of apps that manipulate instead of inform
Try It
If you've ever felt that gap between what you "know" and what you can actually do—give it a try.
It's free. No credit card. Takes 30 seconds to add your first skill.
I'd love feedback from this community. What would make this more useful for you? What's missing?
And honestly—what skills are you pretending you still have?
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