How do you become an expert

The internet has spawned a few million 'experts' who tell you the correct way to do everything imaginable. I guess you have to use your own judgement to decide if they really are experts, but probably safer to take it all with a pinch of salt and keep digging. I would never believe what someone else says without checking it out further.

Confidence?

I know people who I would consider to be experts, but imposter syndrome or something like it stops them from feeling the same way.

Equally I know other people who think they know a lot more than they do. I suspect that the latter group have been told how clever they are from birth, or were big fish in small ponds.

We are all experts at something that is what makes the world go around and we can share and pool our expertise together to help each other.

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Judy54

We are all experts at something that is what makes the world go around and we can share and pool our expertise together to help each other.

That is very true, but as I said you cannot follow advice blindly unless it's something practical like how to clean out the hair trap in a shower (very useful video on You Tube by a plumber)! You have to be cautious with other advice as it's not necessarily accurate or safe.

It is like in ones non-online life, generally avoid anything that comes as gossip or hearsay information and avoid the old bore down the road wh has the answer to everything.

In other word be wary of any information that comes to you through social media, especially where the subject you seek information on is contentious, whether that is on vaccinations or how to boil an egg.

My husband, a few years ago wrote a little bit on his website about a rare wood. Nothing much, just about it’s use by Chinese Emperors. Obviously no-one else has written anything so an internet search brings up his name and he is considered the expert much to his bemusement.

In which case he is currently the expert, because he is the only person who has done some research on this subject and it is the only information available. However, if for some reason this information held political or national implications, for example, it shed doubt on the quality of Chinese workmanship and the Chinese government, in its present mood, got all shirty about it, then one might look at his article with a bit of doubt and ask for more evidence.

One of my DSs is quite often asked to talk on radio or tv news programmes on his area of expertise. He was described as a “guru” by one interviewer to much family amusement.

My BIL’s wife knows how to do everything. He daren’t start any job without her expertise ??

If you want to prove expertise at something get the necessary qualifications.

Many years ago, my US colleagues' definition of an 'expert' was "A guy from out-of-town with slides". I suppose that would be "...with Powerpoint" now.

A real expert is someone who knows his/her subject inside out and has the ability to share that knowledge with other people. An 'expert' has an opinion that they espouse as fact, often with little or no evidence to back that opinion up but they do so with such confidence that others believe them.

Real experts can be extremely knowledgeable about common or obscure subjects. My dad was a world expert on the land distribution industry i.e. mainly lorry based distribution. Now that is a niche expertise

DH has been the expert witness in several commercial trials. His expertise being in his line of engineering. He once flew to Australia to give evidence. He arrived in Australia one day, gave his evidence in court and flew home the next. This was all before Zoom and similar computer programs were available.

I got the fright of my life when attending an evening class with a tutor, who I knew, and who was an expert in his field, who, when, another student asked a question on the edge of his expertise, replied by saying 'You had better ask MOnica about this she knows more about it than I do.' I most emphatically did not, and said so.

I have acted as an expert witness in a case against a solicitor accused of negligence. I was a qualified solicitor and had practised for many years in the area of law in question.

I would never describe myself as an expert btw. That is something for people with first hand experience of my work to decide.

My naive concept of an expert is someone who knows everything about something.

You learn a lot and wait to be disregarded by Michael Gove!