It takes so much to become an expert in your chosen field… an immense amount of learning, practical application and intense focus.  It might also require you to push aside a number of other ventures at the same time so you can hone in on it and really develop your skill set.

And in the end – you will still not be an expert – not because of your effort but just become it is impossible for someone to know everything about everything.  You might be an expert for an hour or a day, but then a few hours later there could be a new release or a scenario you had not worked on that someone just blogged about.

I eschew the expert title whenever it is applied to my actions because I know what I don’t know and that immediately says “Not an Expert”.

Do I have a good idea how to approach certain problems based on my knowledge?  I’d like to think so.

Can I answer all your questions on the spot without looking it up?  Doubtful, I can’t retain everything except the understanding and more often then not have to refresh what I am working on.

This is one of the big problems with Interviews today where we expect a candidate to answer all of our questions in rapid-fire succession because we deem those 38 questions to be proof that this person is an “Expert” where in most cases, they are more likely to be an “Expert” in memorization of those facts.

Instead of becoming an Expert of what you have memorized, focus on becoming an Expert in your Understanding of what you are trying to do.

Want more? Check out my book Code Your Way Up – available as an eBook or Paperback on Amazon (CAN and US).  I’m also the co-host of the Remotely Prepared podcast.

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