But the use-case for learning from the best is completely different: you study the best when there are no other options. You study the best when the best is doing something completely different, so they’re the only one to learn it from.
I feel like I do mention this when I say one ought to learn from similar people.
If you spent 10 years learning how to <sport> and you are nr 10 in <sport> and someone else is nr 1 in <sport>, the heuristic of learning from someone similar to you applies.
For instance, back in college I spent a semester on a project with the strongest programmer in my class, and I picked up various small things which turned out to be really important (like “choose a good IDE”).
What you are describing here though is simply a category error, “the best in class” is not “the best programmer”, there were probably hundreds of thousands better than him on all possible metrics.
So I’m not sure how it’s relevant.
It might pay to hang out with him, again, based on the similarity criteria I point out: He’s someone very much like you, that is somewhat better at the thing you want to learn (programming).
I feel like I do mention this when I say one ought to learn from similar people.
If you spent 10 years learning how to <sport> and you are nr 10 in <sport> and someone else is nr 1 in <sport>, the heuristic of learning from someone similar to you applies.
What you are describing here though is simply a category error, “the best in class” is not “the best programmer”, there were probably hundreds of thousands better than him on all possible metrics.
So I’m not sure how it’s relevant.
It might pay to hang out with him, again, based on the similarity criteria I point out: He’s someone very much like you, that is somewhat better at the thing you want to learn (programming).