what is an "expert" ??

are all experts self-appointed? is there some
criteria for calling yourself one? how do you
know you are one??

Hi Joe,

I think there are basically two ways to be an "expert"....

One way is the institutional way like Gordon said. Having a piece of paper to put on your wall and write in your resume.... I guess I'm this kind of "expert" in quantum physics, since I have a Ph.D. in this field. BUT, as Gordon said, it doesn't necessarily mean you have a lot of practical knowledge....

I read a story once about a University Professor of Business who went to open his own cafe. It flopped, and he lost a lot of money! He still had to learn from experience like everyone else!

I think after a few false starts, though, he managed to succeed in creating a profitable cafe.... EVERYONE can learn from experience if you see every "failure" as another lesson in life's business course!

I think the other way to become an "expert" is when you might start noticing that you know more about a topic than most others do, and people start coming to you for your advice! I think in this situation, you can probably call yourself an expert too.... :)

Some people do just "call" themselves experts, but there should definitely be some knowledge/experience backing it up. I think Joe Karbo (in "The Lazy Man's Way to Riches") mentioned that, you probably know more about SOMETHING than 50% of the population. That means that to at least the 50% who know less than you do in that topic, you're an expert. I think Joe Karbo was writing about this in the context of writing a book - if you know more than 50% of the people about a topic, then you can write a book to teach it to them. :)

Thanks Joe, this is an interesting topic.... :)

- Dien Rice

Dien -

When I was in grad school, a group of the business professors decided to "help" a minority business improve its practices and profitability. The business went out of business with their "help"! Unfortunately, they just went back to the halls of academia, while the poor owner went on welfare!

That was an early lesson to me about "book expertise" and experience expertise. In my opinion, true experts have both, and continue to learn from both.

I've seen the definition, "An expert is someone dead from the neck up", implying they've stopped learning. Certainly applied to my old prof's:-)

Bob

Hi Bob,

> When I was in grad school, a group of the
> business professors decided to
> "help" a minority business improve
> its practices and profitability. The
> business went out of business with their
> "help"! Unfortunately, they just
> went back to the halls of academia, while
> the poor owner went on welfare!

I can believe this! It's true, many academics have little experience of the "real world" outside of the ivory towers of academia.... Something can look good on paper, but when you get to the real world, there could be quite a lot of factors that you didn't take into account! In academia, you can get away with that kind of thing, but the real world can be a harsher (but more realistic) teacher!

> That was an early lesson to me about
> "book expertise" and experience
> expertise. In my opinion, true experts have
> both, and continue to learn from both.

Yes, I agree with you competely.... I still learn a lot from books.... I value most the words of those who have "done it," but I've found I can also learn a lot from those who just study it - as long as they study those who have "done it" themselves!

> I've seen the definition, "An expert is
> someone dead from the neck up",
> implying they've stopped learning. Certainly
> applied to my old prof's:-)

Heheh.... :)

Having been in academia, I agree this applies to SOME professors.... Others are quite on the ball, though. But nothing is quite as good a teacher as real world experience! Nothing beats getting out and DOING it - getting your "feet wet", maybe falling down a few times, but learning more solid lessons than you could any other way....

- Dien Rice

Dien -

My favorite academics were two physical chemists I met in 1985 at a conference. They were eminent scientists in their field (which I guess somehow bridges chemistry with physics at the subatomic level)as both college department heads, industry advisors and scientific journal editors.

However, they really enjoyed telling stories about their PhD days at Columbia, working on the Manhatten Project, and how they accidentally blew up a lab at Columbia! They were hilarious!

It seems that the truly accomplished in any field can be themselves, without worrying about protecting their image.

Bob

Place a question on most of these type of "discussion boards" and you will get "answers" from lots of "mavens"! People who "think" they know the answer....but aren't SURE because they have never actually DONE what they are commenting on.

"Mavens" are "Amateur Experts"! (IMHO)

The "experts"...those who have the EXPERIENCE of actually DOING what they are commenting on... usually want to get PAID for their "expertise".

So...what you will find on MOST of these "discussion" forums are "people who like to "discuss" things....whether they have any "experience" about what they're talking about or not is irrelevant...it's the COMMENT that counts...and for those selling stuff...an "excuse" to get their Links seen.

Then...there's people like "me"...who have done a lot of things and get enjoyment from trying to help someone else...BASED UPON "MY" EXPERIENCE!

Don Alm

> are all experts self-appointed? is there
> some
> criteria for calling yourself one? how do
> you
> know you are one??

> are all experts self-appointed? is there
> some
> criteria for calling yourself one? how do
> you
> know you are one??

Socrates said "Only one thing do I know, and that is that I know nothing"; or a man who knows nothing and knows he knows nothing, knows more than a man who knows nothing but thinks he knows something.

Socrates is said to have searched in vain for even one truly wise man, finally concluding there was no one wiser than he, while he himself professed to know nothing, and thus could hardly be considered wise.

Does being an expert include some conclusion brought on by a closure that every aspect of a topic has been thoroughly studied and there is no more to learn?

I propose that "expert" is a relative term.

Best Regards,
Steve MacLellan




homebusiness-websites.com

I have only known two experts or perfect people,
My wife and her ex-husband.

Best regards,
D.R.(Don)McArdle
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From Webster's Third New International Dictionary:
expert - "one who has acquired special skill in or knowledge of a particular subject through professional training or practical experience"

Personally, I'd define an expert as "someone who can skillfully solve problems and get desired results in a speciallized area of operation, regardless of training or experience"

> are all experts self-appointed?

Don't know about that, but I would say that any true expert knows that he or she is an expert.

> is there some criteria for calling yourself one?

Per the definitions above, you'll know you're an expert when (1) you have acquired specialized skill and/or knowledge, and (2) you can use your skill and knowldege to solve problems and get desired results in that specialized area of operation.

>how do you know you are one??

Same answer as the last question. PERSONAL EXAMPLE: I have done sheet metal work for about 11 years. There came a point a few years back where I realized that there is no sheet metal problem I can't solve. That makes me a "sheet metal expert". Does it mean that I know everything there is to know about sheet metal? Not by a long shot! It simply means I have acquired enough knowledge and skill to be able to solve any sheet metal problem I come up against. In short, I can get desired results in sheet metal --- every time! However, it is of interest to note that in attacking sheet metal problems, I sometimes have to consult with other sheet metal experts to get the information I need to solve the problem. This is part and parcel of being an expert: Knowing your limits (knowing what you know and what you don't know), and where to go to get answers that are beyond your current realm of knowledge, skill or experience. That gives you, as an expert, the opportunity to expand your expertise! Pity (and avoid) the "expert" who thinks he or she knows everything there is to know about a subject.

--- Hugh

> are all experts self-appointed? is there
> some
> criteria for calling yourself one? how do
> you
> know you are one??

Sometimes experts are appointed by others in the sense that the person so consistently gives reliable advice that others begin to say, "You want to know about ZZZ, talk to YYY." I've seen this happen in online communities, where the highly regarded but humble person takes a long time to understand that this is going on.

Far better for it to happen this way than for someone to claim expertise that others don't believe he or she has.

Marcia Yudkin


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