can i switch back from current to release after the fact?
AFAIK, you can't switch back / downgrade from current to current release but you can switch forth / upgrade from current to next release when it is released. Just wait <6 month, duh
if i should switch to current, as some programs have newer versions for current
I haven't tried current, but tried snapshots for the exact same reason. Disliked the experience, but I have lots, LOTS of big and small packages installed. I may not use all of them day-to-day, but keep them just in case. Also those that I plan to get aquainted with, I install them, and they reside on storage disk waiting.
Consider: you are on an old - say 2 weeks - snapshot and you want to install a pkg. You may try your luck and just install the pkg. If there have been no dependency or ABI changes, you get it installed and it works. But if there have been some breaking changes, it may fail to install or install but not work. You need to upgrade everything - base and all pkgs - to the current snapshot. Have you enough time, patience, internet traffic and CPU at the moment when you need the pkg? YMMV
Even though not often, things do break. YMMV