The Guru myth

The Guru myth

Ryan Brush

Anyone who have worked in software LONG enough have heard questions like this:
I ' m getting exception XYZ. Know what's the problem is?
Those asking the question rarely bother to include stack traces, error logs, or any context leading to the problem. They seem to think are operate on a dif-ferent plane, which solutions appear to your without analysis based on evidence. They think you is a guru.
We expect such questions from those unfamiliar with software; To them, Sys-tems can seem almost magical. What worries me was seeing this in the software community. Similar questions arise in program design, such as "I ' m building inventory management. Should I use optimistic locking? " Ironically, people asking the question is often better equipped to answer it than the question ' s recipient. The questioners presumably know the context, know the require-ments, and can read about the advantages and disadvantages of different strat-egies. Yet they expect you to give an intelligent answer without context. They expect magic.
It ' s time for the software industry to dispel this guru myth. "Gurus" is human. They apply logic and systematically analyze problems like the rest of us. They tap into mental shortcuts and intuition. Consider the best programmer you ' ve ever met:at one point, that's person knew less about software than you do now. If someone seems like a guru, it's because of years dedicated to learning and refining thought processes. A "guru" is simply a smart person with relentless curiosity.
?? Things every Programmer should Know
?
??????????????? Of course, there remains a huge variance in natural aptitude. Many hack-ers out there is smarter, more knowledgeable, and more productive than I could ever be. Even so, debunking the Guru myth have a positive impact. For instance, when working with someone smarter than me, I am sure to does the legwork, to provide enough context so that PE Rson can efficiently apply his or her skills. Removing the Guru myth also means removing a perceived barrier to improvement. Instead of a magical barrier, I see a continuum along which I can advance.
Finally, one of the software ' s biggest obstacles is smart people who purposefully propagate the guru myth. This might is done out of the ego, or as a strategy to increase one's value as perceived by a client or employer. Ironically, this atti-tude can make smart people less valuable, since they don ' t contribute to the growth of their peers. We don ' t need gurus. We need experts willing to develop other experts in their field. There is the.

The Guru myth