How do you even decide on a tech stack when you’re still learning everything?

Hey y’all,
So I’m in my third year of uni (Computer Science major) and currently working on a side project for this startup idea I’ve had floating around for a while. Nothing massive just a small platform for matching freelance student tutors with local high schoolers. Sounds chill, right? Except I’m stuck on literally the first decision: what stack do I even use?

Every time I think I’ve got it figured out, I scroll StackShare or GitHub and see like 30 other options that might be “better” or more “scalable” or whatever. It’s giving me decision paralysis.

Right now I’m juggling these:

Frontend: Torn between React (which I kinda know) and Svelte (which looks way more fun but I’d have to learn it from scratch).

Backend: Node.js with Express seems like the standard choice, but a classmate swears by Django and Python.

Database: Leaning toward PostgreSQL but Firebase is tempting because of how fast it is to set up with auth and all.

Hosting: Thinking Vercel for frontend and maybe Railway or Supabase for backend. AWS feels like overkill at this point.

I guess my real question is… how do you choose your stack? Like what’s your mental process? Do you optimize for what you already know, or for what you want to learn? Or for what looks good on a resume?

One of my friends told me to just build a prototype in whatever’s easiest and switch stacks later if needed, which makes sense. But also I hate rebuilding stuff once I’ve already sunk time into it. Another friend said “just use the same stuff you see in job listings,” but that feels kind of backwards? Idk.

Also not gonna lie—between this project, job applications, and uni assignments, I’m mentally fried. I actually opened an admission essay writing service page out of pure desperation last week while helping my cousin with their grad school app. Didn’t use it, but I get why people do. The tech side of things is already a lot, and then life just piles on top.

So yeah. If you’ve ever been in the early stages of building something solo or with a tiny team how’d you decide on your tools? What mattered most: speed, popularity, support, vibes?

Appreciate any thoughts. Especially from other students or early-career devs who’ve been through this mess.