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I don't know, I just don't think encouraging self-doubt in general is a great idea for the industry as a whole (right now). If anything, people lack confidence

I don't know, I just don't think encouraging self-doubt in general is a great idea for the industry as a whole (right now). If anything, people lack confidence given the omnipresence of imposter syndrome. >Excessive confidence seems to work to impress some people early on, but total belief in your own abilities and eventual world domination is going to make you think you can do anything, and that gets in the way of making good decisions. Really, how many people truly reach that stage? The far majority of professional tech people I meet are so humble they barely even question management on technical decisions. Maybe that's just my experience with primarily passive people, but it certainly doesn't reflect what I tend to see here, on Twitter and on Reddit.

keynesyoudigit 5y ago
IME, "Excessive confidence" is usually a shield for insecurity anyway.
- smackeyacky 5y ago
  Can also be a cover for bullshit artists. Some people take "fake it until you make it" as some kind of design for life, especially those with narcissistic tendencies. I personally like to see a touch of humility in people I deal with. That, too, can be faked, but at least it leaves you with some idea about whether a job is going to get done.
  - paskozdilar 5y ago
    > Some people take "fake it until you make it" as some kind of design for life, especially those with narcissistic tendencies. The worst part is that it actually works - at least on scale. Bullshit artists thrive on the "they look like they know what they're doing" vibe, because for most people, that level of confidence can only be achieved through hard work and dedication to the craft, so we assume that the person that confident must be very hardworking and very dedicated, or simply knows something that we don't. It's a perceptional shortcut that we use because it works for us most of the time. In an unknown room full of unknown people, we instinctively search for someone who doesn't look lost.
mark_l_watson 5y ago
Please consider, regarding “passive people” that they may also may just not like arguing with idiots. In modern life it is easier than it used to be to shift roles in the same company or find a new employer in order to find a better fit for yourself. If people are difficult to work with and then you move on, do you consider that the difficult people “won?” - I would say no. Maybe I am guilty of over simplification here, but the real challenge in life is having your own values and properly living your own life, not competing with other people. I reject the idea that life is a zero sum game.

keynesyoudigit 5y ago

IME, "Excessive confidence" is usually a shield for insecurity anyway.

smackeyacky 5y ago
Can also be a cover for bullshit artists. Some people take "fake it until you make it" as some kind of design for life, especially those with narcissistic tendencies. I personally like to see a touch of humility in people I deal with. That, too, can be faked, but at least it leaves you with some idea about whether a job is going to get done.
- paskozdilar 5y ago
  > Some people take "fake it until you make it" as some kind of design for life, especially those with narcissistic tendencies. The worst part is that it actually works - at least on scale. Bullshit artists thrive on the "they look like they know what they're doing" vibe, because for most people, that level of confidence can only be achieved through hard work and dedication to the craft, so we assume that the person that confident must be very hardworking and very dedicated, or simply knows something that we don't. It's a perceptional shortcut that we use because it works for us most of the time. In an unknown room full of unknown people, we instinctively search for someone who doesn't look lost.

mark_l_watson 5y ago

Please consider, regarding “passive people” that they may also may just not like arguing with idiots. In modern life it is easier than it used to be to shift roles in the same company or find a new employer in order to find a better fit for yourself. If people are difficult to work with and then you move on, do you consider that the difficult people “won?” - I would say no. Maybe I am guilty of over simplification here, but the real challenge in life is having your own values and properly living your own life, not competing with other people. I reject the idea that life is a zero sum game.