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This isn't a programming problem, or exclusive to our field. Go talk to any expert in their field about something in that field, and have the same reaction. I

This isn't a programming problem, or exclusive to our field. Go talk to any expert in their field about something in that field, and have the same reaction. I tried my hand at blacksmithing, and had to learn (what seemed like) a lot of metallurgy before half of what my mentors were saying made any sense at all. Sometimes it's on the expert to make it clear to the non-expert. Other times it's on the newbie to learn the basics so they understand the answer to their question. .

atoav 4y ago
> Sometimes it's on the expert to make it clear to the non-expert. Other times it's on the newbie to learn the basics so they understand the answer to their question. I think most of the times it is on the expert to be clear, because as an expert you should know what complexity your experise involves, while this cannot be expected of the non-expert. That being said, it is totally okay as an expert to answer in the sense of "that involves a lot of things that you need to know beforehand" and then give them a hint where they can learn those things and ask them to come back when they did their homework. What does not help anyone is if you just answer the question without giving context. Great, technically you were right, but you are also the only person who can tell it was. Communicating clearly is a separate skill. Not every expert has that skill. But every expert could potentially profit from having that skill. If you have that skill it does not mean you now need to put in a lot of work in explaining things to everybody – but it means you can explain things if it is needed. People are surprisingly happy if someone manages to clear things up for them without looking down on them or going into teacher/preacher mode.
brightlancer 4y ago
It's not exclusive to programming or "tech", but computers are so pervasive while most folks' eyes glaze over at the simplest tasks. There are lots of folks who don't know how to check their oil or check their tire pressure (or even whether they have a jack and a spare), but in the US we do have a general expectation that folks know how to do those things, so most folks learn. With computers or "tech", there are almost no expectations that folks should be able to do any maintenance or troubleshooting, so most folks don't learn. This is why "Is it plugged in" has to be the first question. Software developers don't always make it easier, but our expectations for users are also too low.

atoav 4y ago

> Sometimes it's on the expert to make it clear to the non-expert. Other times it's on the newbie to learn the basics so they understand the answer to their question. I think most of the times it is on the expert to be clear, because as an expert you should know what complexity your experise involves, while this cannot be expected of the non-expert. That being said, it is totally okay as an expert to answer in the sense of "that involves a lot of things that you need to know beforehand" and then give them a hint where they can learn those things and ask them to come back when they did their homework. What does not help anyone is if you just answer the question without giving context. Great, technically you were right, but you are also the only person who can tell it was. Communicating clearly is a separate skill. Not every expert has that skill. But every expert could potentially profit from having that skill. If you have that skill it does not mean you now need to put in a lot of work in explaining things to everybody – but it means you can explain things if it is needed. People are surprisingly happy if someone manages to clear things up for them without looking down on them or going into teacher/preacher mode.

brightlancer 4y ago

It's not exclusive to programming or "tech", but computers are so pervasive while most folks' eyes glaze over at the simplest tasks. There are lots of folks who don't know how to check their oil or check their tire pressure (or even whether they have a jack and a spare), but in the US we do have a general expectation that folks know how to do those things, so most folks learn. With computers or "tech", there are almost no expectations that folks should be able to do any maintenance or troubleshooting, so most folks don't learn. This is why "Is it plugged in" has to be the first question. Software developers don't always make it easier, but our expectations for users are also too low.