I am 67 years old (I'm taking every single one of the 14 more days til 68 that I have left!), have been quilting 32 years and teaching, designing, writing for about 29 of those years. I learned from a forerunner of the 'new' quilting craze who eschewed scissors, templates, and hand piecing and I still teach "modern", fast, speed piecing, trick and techniques at my guild where the workshops are always well received and even asked for.
Go to your local library and read thru as many quilting books that have been printed after, say, 1995 as you can find. Look especially through Quilters Newsletter Magazine and American Quilter magazine for 'on trend' news and skills. A subscription to American Quilter is a benefit of membership in the American Quilters Society.
Please realize that the internet, while a truly wonderful resource, is not the only source for the information you are requesting. You seem so eager, I think you'll have a great time going thru these things.
Jan in VA