SQL remains an essential skill for developers despite the availability of ORMs that translate programming languages into SQL, as it offers significant advantages in performance optimization, troubleshooting, and understanding database functionalities. Knowing SQL allows developers to enhance application performance by making informed decisions like adding indexes and aids in diagnosing bugs by querying databases directly. Additionally, it bridges communication gaps between developers and other database professionals, as SQL is a common language they share. SQL skills are in high demand, particularly with modern distributed databases, and learning SQL is relatively easy, with most developers able to acquire necessary skills quickly. The article promotes a free SQL learning path tailored for application developers to help them acquire these valuable skills efficiently.