This is indicative of a more general phenomenon: the world is big enough that attention is stretched thin. If you invest a few weeks of thoughtful work into a s

This is indicative of a more general phenomenon: the world is big enough that attention is stretched thin. If you invest a few weeks of thoughtful work into a specific corner, just because YOU care, you can quickly surpass broader experts. This doesn’t devalue broad expertise in general. Focused amateurs benefit significantly from access to experts, and you need some level of training/experience before you can pull this off. The point is that attention and persistence are valuable. Consider someone with human body. There’s a lot going on. You can go to a doctor. You can go to specialists. It takes weeks and months to get seen and you get minutes of their time. If you have a complex condition, it’s very hard to find and capture the attention of an expert who can address the breadth of the problem. You have to get informed. Not the “do your own research” trope that leads to anti-vax and flat-earth nonsense. You have to document your symptoms. Figure out how to tell your story concisely. Learn what the relevant specialties are and the language they use. Dig into primary sources for early studies and experimental interventions. Nobody else will do this work for you. For much of it, nobody else can - because only you have direct experience of the problem. The software ecosystem is the same. It’s huge, interconnected, with silo’d experts and communities of practice. A competent, motivated person can chart unique, rewarding paths. Keep pushing!