"Every situation has a silver lining, and mine was that I got a big insight into what competence is. Competent people have a predictable, reliable process for s

"Every situation has a silver lining, and mine was that I got a big insight into what competence is. Competent people have a predictable, reliable process for solving a particular set of problems. They solve a problem the same way, every time. That's what makes them reliable. That's what makes them competent." Totally, completely, and incontrovertibly false. People who are competent are those that are effective at solving new problems as they arise. Don't believe me? Ask yourself, what makes a competent programmer? Your measure of competence is simply wrong. Reputation != competence, and its a terrible heuristic, especially when dealing with contractors.