Amateurs and Experts

There are certain things that separate amateurs from experts. These distinctions are neither “good” nor “bad”, they’re just distinctions. I certainly couldn’t be (nor would I want to be) an expert in everything I like to do. The experts welcome and seek out other experts. But they don’t listen to everyone. Amateurs tend to not listen to anyone, and stay in their little bubble, sheltered. Experts push themselves and their field further. Amateurs are just trying to get something done, and done is good enough.

There is something I don’t understand, however: a person with no drive to be an expert at what they love to do (whether it is what they get paid for, or a hobby they are working on). I don’t mean an expert with degrees, or a lofty status. I just mean a plain expert. Anyone who is anyone in the hobby knows them, and knows their dedication and expertise. Maybe it is only a few people who love something that much that they put in the time to be an expert in their community.

One thing that makes me mad is being stuck in an insular group of amateurs. When expertise is written off as “not the way we do things”. Or not in line with our values. When all either of those statements really mean someone is uncomfortable. I’ve found not being comfortable is the best place to be in life.