Shit You Don't Know

Image from http://jangosteve.com

A great little blog post popped up on my Recommended Items list in Google Reader which caught me just from the title.  Intrigued, I decided to go and have a read.  In the article, Steve Schwartz discusses the scenario of people who feel like they have no clue what they’re doing but appear to be recognized and praised by others as being not only competent but exceeding expectations.  Of course, the piece spoke directly to me – and I think many others of us as well.  So here I ramble on.

I’ve been meaning to write a post about this for a while, so I’m glad that this article gave me the segue to do so.  I am definitely one of those who has no clue what he’s doing but is often pointed out as the go-to guy, subject matter expert, or whatever you want to call it.  And the reason that this happens is not necessarily because I know more than others or have more experience than others – often times, quite to the contrary – but because I am thorough and complete.

Basically, it boils down to this for me.  I’m a jack of all trades but a master of none.  I’m decent and competent at most things I apply myself to, from music to martial arts to networks to writing and everything else; but I never really excel at any of them.  I know just enough to do most things that need to be done, and just enough experience to be able to execute it to standard, but when I have to go above and beyond the norm, it takes me a while.

But many people come to me for my opinion or help on certain matters (interestingly enough, I just helped a fellow webmaster faultfind some troublesome code).  Referring back to the originally linked article, that’s not because I have a broad Shit I Know field, but a broader Shit I Know I Don’t Know area.  What that means for me is that I’m forced to be thorough and logical in the way I conduct business – checking my blind spots instead of ignoring them, and considering dozens of possibilities that others may easily disregard.

A voracity for learning helps, but moreso a step-by-step thought process that doesn’t skip past any points.  Each consideration is weighed, calculated, then assessed.  What I don’t know or understand, I research as thoroughly as possible.  I contact friends, departments, experts, or just consult and brainstorm with those available to me in order to create as complete a picture as possible.  And I don’t consider a matter concluded or completed until it’s tested and confirmed to be working as it should be.

You’d think that these things would be par for the course for everyone, and for a lot of the people I know, they are.  They are just as methodical and thorough as I am, and will go far out of their way to find solutions.  Compared to these people, the only difference that I can find with myself is that I am more often than not able to convey my thoughts and ideas clearly and concisely without confusion.

There are many people who are great at what they do, but aren’t perceived as such.  Whereas others, like myself, aren’t very great at all but influence others to think that we’re awesome.  The difference is an important one to mark, and one that isn’t lost on me.  I think that what I can do and how I do it are good things, but I sometimes wish that there was some field or aspect in which I excelled.  Maybe one day, with enough time and experience, I can get there.

Remember: shit you don’t know you don’t know can kill you.