Expertise and advice

In his essay “How The Type Of Advice Someone Can Give Can Change Over Time”, the author of SucceedSocially.com writes:

...as someone starts to become proficient in a field, they can start to take all the basic little steps for granted. With time they may even start to forget what it was like to be a beginner, or lose touch with how it felt to not have certain abilities. I’ve noticed this happening myself.

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Once someone internalizes the basics and moves into more advanced levels of skill, I’ve noticed they can want to focus on the bigger picture. They’ll want to figure out a handful of profound, succinct principles that tie all the advice about a field together.

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I think beginners often need that drilled down, specific information though. Sometimes they need to learn some tactics as well before talk of larger strategies can really sink in. I also think if an advice giver gets too broad and abstract, his ideas can become vague to the point of being unhelpful.

If you’re trying to learn something, it’s natural to try to find the best people in the field to learn from. And if you’re thinking of sharing your thoughts on something, it’s natural to think twice unless you have a proven track record of accomplishments in that area.

A better model of advice dissemination might focus on the derivative of a person’s abilities. For example, if you’re an amateur at something and you stumble on something that really seems to help, write it up even if you haven’t reached the peak of expertise yet. And if you’re looking for advice, don’t be afraid to read writing by other amateurs—they are the ones who are at your stage and trying to improve themselves.

Of course, experts who do a lot of hands-on work helping amateurs are probably the best.