Comment by mattmcknight

5 years ago

For me this maps so clearly to the Dreyfus model of skill acquisition. Novices need strict rules to guide their behavior. Experts are able to use intuition they have developed. When something new comes along, everyone seems like a novice for a little while.

The Dreyfus model identifies 5 skill levels:

Novice

Wants to achieve a goal, and not particularly interested in learning. Requires context free rules to follow. When something unexpected happens will get stuck.

Advanced Beginner

Beginning to break away from fixed rules. Can accomplish tasks on own, but still has difficulty troubleshooting. Wants information fast.

Competent

Developed a conceptual model of task environment. Able to troubleshoot. Beginning to solve novel problems. Seeks out and solve problems. Shows initiative and resourcefulness. May still have trouble determining which details to focus on when solving a problem.

Proficient

Needs the big picture. Able to reflect on approach in order to perform better next time. Learns from experience of others. Applies maxims and patterns.

Expert

Primary source of knowledge and information in a field. Constantly look for better ways of doing things. Write books and articles and does the lecture circuit. Work from intuition. Knows the difference between irrelevant and important details.

3 comments

mattmcknight

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rendall  5 years ago

> Primary source of knowledge and information in a field. Constantly look for better ways of doing things. Write books and articles and does the lecture circuit.

Meh. I'm probably being picky, but it doesn't surprise me that a Thought Leader would put themselves and what they do as Thought Leader in the Expert category. I see them more as running along a parallel track. They write books and run consulting companies and speak at conferences and create a brand, and then there are those of us who get good at writing code because we do it every day, year after year. Kind of exactly the difference between sports commentators and athletes.

anarazel  5 years ago

The problem is that the book presents things that are at best 60/40 issues as hard rules, which leads novices++ follow them to the detriment of everything else.