#week-7

The pattern I decided to read is titled “Expose Your Ignorance” from chapter 2 of Apprenticeship Patterns: Guidance for the Aspiring Software Craftsman by Dave Hoover and Adewale Oshineye. This pattern starts with throwing out a hypothetical problem where the reader is working for an employer that is expecting the reader to deliver a product but the reader is unfamiliar with the required technologies. The solution to this problem is in giving an honest response and building a reputation on your ability to learn rather building a reputation on what you know. This pattern also mentions how asking questions is a great way to expose your ignorance because you show what you are learning to your teammates. The pattern ends by discussing how exposing your ignorance is a trait of walking the long road because it means you are open to learning unfamiliar technologies and new domains. Whereas, experts tend to narrow their scope of learning, practice, and projects by specializing in specific things.

There were two instantly helpful pieces of information I gathered from reading this pattern. The first useful piece of information was how as I work on becoming a software craftsman, it is more useful to be known for my ability to learn things instead of being known for the specific technologies I am already familiar with. This piece of advice immediately affects how I think and how I will speak about future projects.

The second thought-provoking piece I read was how becoming an expert is a by-product of the long road I am on. This absolutely blew my mind but also humbled me because I should have known this already since I use a similar perspective for exercising in the gym. My goal of living a long and healthy life means that as a result I will have strong muscles if I am regularly going to the gym. I think one of the reasons this was so striking to me is because I feel like I have such a long way to go before I feel confident enough to call myself an expert in something. Therefore, hearing that becoming an expert is a by-product of the long road showed me how long this long road really is for me.

Library Design - Interviews