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by Carol Burnside
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I don’t know about you, but when someone mentions finding an expert I don’t automatically think of myself as having expert-worthy knowledge about anything. I think of people with letters that follow their names. Letters like PhD or MD, for instance.
When I fill out profile or membership information and it asks for areas in which I might have expertise, my hand hovers over the blank space for a moment. A small internal argument ensues, then I move on to the next question, even while a little voice in my head insists I know enough stuff about certain things that others might not. But enough that I might be seen as an expert? I didn’t finish college. Can I be an expert without a college degree? I look up the word.
Expert: somebody with a great deal of knowledge about, or skill, training, or experience in, a particular field or activity
A great deal. Hmm. I think back on things I’ve done, jobs I’ve held. Still uncomfortable saying I’m an expert, I looked up another word.
Authority: a source of reliable information on a subject..jpg "a-FourProfessionals")
Now that word doesn’t make me uncomfortable. I could be an authority. I have reliable information on…subjects. For instance, sewing. I know a lot about sewing and have taught others to sew. I’ve made dresses, pant suits, children’s clothes, jeans, and even a string bikini. I’ve sewn decorative pillows and curtains and craft projects and even made some rudimentary patterns. I’ve sewn by hand, mended clothes and know finishing touches that make a garment look professionally turned out. I know the difference between worked, bound and keyhole buttonholes as well as several kinds of hemming techniques. Wow. Who woulda thunk it? I am a sewing authority.
I could also be a reliable source of information on the subjects of construction testing, duties of an executive assistant, puzzles and… Well, you get the idea. So. Think about it. On what subjects would you consider yourself an authority?
by Carol Burnside
27 comments
There are numerous areas that I’d feel comfortable saying I’m an authority on, but most of them take someone else doing their part. I’m an authority on being a mother…but my kids had to turn out okay in life for me to feel this way. I’m an authority on how to keep a marriage going for decades…and decades…but I have a fantastic husband who has made the job easier and…well, has done his half of the difficult job.
I guess I’d say that I feel I’m an authority on how to grow gracefully, enjoying each year of my life and not letting the small stuff cut me off at the knees…at least that’s MY choice and I can make that kind of choice without anyone’s permission.
Thanks for a great blog today.
Sandy
Carol, I’m in DC today! Waving at you. I am the expert on nothing other than curiousity. World is a wonderous place. We should ask questions about it. One of the principles in yoga is that you are always a student. There is no such thing as being an expert, we should always strive to learn more about the things we love and care about. The quest to forever be a student is more important than being an expert at anything. I’d never heard this idea in school, but I apply it to church, my family, work, writing.
It also takes some of the pressure off trying to be perfect. Jack of all trades…Master of none!
Does anything make you feel smaller than that pesky little expertise question? Anything? I hate that thing…but thanks to this column I just found my answer: multitasking.
I’m better at it than Windows 7. It can’t cook dinner, drink a glass of wine, listen to the news, diagnose a rash and keep the cat off the counter all at once.
Hey Carol, sew any thongs out of the leftover bikini lycra?
Well Carol, this is quite a thought provoking post.
I loved Nicki’s comment, an expert in curiosity! Brilliant.
Hmm…I suppose I’m an expert of sorts on decorating with eclectic flair. My house is a mish mash of contmeporary style and antique furniture. I get compliments on the decor all the time…does that make me an expert?
I didn’t finish college either, and I certainly didn’t go to school to earn an interior design degree. So…expert? Not really.
I suppose I could be considered an expert in mural painting. But again, I didn’t get an art degree.
Does exteneded education make a person an expert in their field? I don’t think so. I’ve known an electrician, a plumber and even a mathmetician who were all morons. Knowing their trade didn’t mean they excelled at it.
I think you become an expert in a field when your “curiosity” inspires you to learn more. Not just about the subject itself, but how others and even the world around you reacts to it. Expertise comes not only from “book smarts” but from heart smarts too.
You must love what you do to be a true expert (like you appear to love sewing) and only then can you call yourself accomplished.
Great post Carol!
Have a lovley day,
Tamara
I’m pretty good at water skiing, x-stitching, substituting and being a parent of a chronically ill child but I’m still not sure I’m an authority. Authority means you better be right and I’ve known some that aren’t. Came mess people up.
Carol, I hate that question. Inevitably it’s on Boy Scout and PTA volunteer forms, and what they’re really trying to say is “What can we rope you into doing?” Not only do I not feel like an expert in most things, but they never seem to need anyone who’s strengths include writing, reading, and speaking Spanish–a little surprising on the last one.
I’m going to go with Nicki’s approach. I’m not really an expert on history, but I’m very curious about it. The same could be said for music and various types of literature.
Great food for thought!
Sally
Here’s what I learned a long time ago – and it’s like Sally said – I don’t ever actually divulge what I’m an expert at because if I fill in Sewing or Writing or Construction or something like that I inevitably end up on some committee sewing costumes, writing blurbs for the school auction or chairing the playground construction committee. Or managing the re-design of the GRW Website. Oh no – now I am happy to be a big ole novice at everything.
Enjoying your thoughts! Must run to an orthodontic appointment, but will respond to your comments this afternoon. Keep them coming.
Wow. I’m so tempted to answer this in terms of my limitations. I’m an expert on my limitations, etc. But that’s boring. And unproductive.
So let’s see. I’m also an expert on:
garlic, throwing outfits together on the cheap, British poetry of yore, my family (I know them SO well), healthy eating, and feeling like hell when I might have hurt someone’s feelings.
J–I need your help with the outfit thing.
Oh, and I’m an expert on cheap wine! : )
I can’t believe I’m an expert, or an authority but good heavens, it’s apparently true!
After several years as a racehorse groom, followed by fifteen years as a trainer, I do believe I’m an expert in the field. (well actually at the track). And then there’s the years of riding, owning, doctoring horses.
Add in two years on an isolated horse ranch with up to 80 thoroughbreds in my care…
In fact, I’ve considered offering to answer writer questions “on all things horse” through my blog to help others ‘get it right’. I’ll get on that one day.
Oh yes, I do believe I’m also an expert on ONE DAY, as I think about it and comment on it so frequently!
Sally, you live awfully close to me. Name the afternoon.
And I’m an expert on cheap wine also. Trader Joe’s, woohoo!
Carol,
I really enjoyed this post. Sometimes I think I “used to be”, but ‘ole man “usedto” retired and could care less.
So, to answer your question. Nope, can’t think of a thing on whick I am an expert.
Like I used to tell students: I do know a lot about a few things, but there are a lot of things that I know very little about!
I guess I would say I’m an expert at creating newsletters, naming them, writing them, editing them. I don’t know how many I’ve edited over the years for clients, organizations, etc. I majored in Journalism but really learned on the job.
I also love jewelry, I’m not an expert but I love talking about it.
Sandy: I know what you mean about others doing their part. Still, you’re at least an authority on your part of the effort – right?
Nicki: (Waving madly back at ya!) I’ve heard my Granny say “Jack of all trades…Master of none!” a gazillion times. She truly was a master gardener and authority on home canning, but she would have blushed if anyone had said so. I love that you keep a student mindset on all things in life.
Anna S: I believe it. Multitasking isn’t easy. And no. No handsewn thongs, TYVM. But I did make a string bikini once.
Tamara: LOL on the moronic workmen. I’ve come across a few of those too. I’d love to talk art with you one of these days as I wanted to be an interior designer during my college days. Like you, I’m no expert, but truly enjoy making each house we buy into a home.
Susan: I think ‘expert’ means you better be right. Being an authority–I’d like to think–gives us a little wiggle room due to individual experience.
Sally and Michelle: I rarely fill out those forms either. My mouth gets me roped into too many volunteer projects as it is, without me adding to it in writing!
Julianne: I’m SO with you there on the hurt feelings one. I agonize over stuff like that! And the cheap outfits. There was a time in my life when being proficient at that was a necessity, not a talent. But really – you, limitations? Pffft!
Kathy: What interesting things we learn about each other on this blog. I’m making a note of this for the next Am. frontier story I write. I’m sure I’ll have horse questions of some sort. And the blog idea is a great one.
Maxine: I don’t believe you. You’re being way too modest.
Marilyn: I knew that about you. You’ve done a great job with the Galley for GRW. And the jewelry thing? You and me, girlfriend. I think maybe I like jewelry better than (gasp) shoes and purses. I’m an expert in wearing it too.
We need to make up a technical name for people who know all about cheap wine. Something classier than lush yet less snooty than sommelier because I’d like to put that on my resume.
Surely we could come up with something. Anyone know French? That language makes everything sound fancy.
How about “connoisseur vin au bon marché”?
(This from a Texan with no working knowledge of the French language whatsoever.)
help
Hey Carol! Hmmm. Not sure what my expertise would be. I wouldn’t call this an expertise, and not sure about authority. BUT I do know a bunch about the evolution of cell phones. When we started using them to what we can expect in the future. Of course, this would be something I’m researching for my WIP. Another thing I’m working on is learning about court cases involving minors and murder. Not an authority, but I am learning a bunch about this particular topic…grin…
Thanks for making me think today.
Tami
Lately I don’t feel like an expert on anything, LOL. And I’m certainly not going to admit anything different to anyone these days as I have enough to do
Well, in New Orleans, we called wine lovers in the French Quarter ‘wine-os,’ but somehow that’s just not the elegant french word you’re seeking, is it?
You know, I think expertise is all relative. I’m from New Orleans, and to my GA neighbors, I’m an expert on hurricanes, Mardi Gras, and creole cooking. Down there with my family, not so much.
I hold a degree in Interior Design (Geaux Tigers!),DH is an architect, and I live in the ATL, so to my family, I have all the answers to the trendy new wall colors, granite vs. quartz countertops, and to puddle or not to puddle (drapery treatments). Here at home, I defer to my friendly neighborhood Home Depot expert. And I keep my sewing expertise to myself, since I have made that mistake in the past and do not wish to repeat it.
BTW, in case you’re wondering:
just say no to puddling.
Hey, Tami! Thanks for stopping in.
LOL, Debbie. I hear ya.
No puddling, eh, Pam? I figured that wouldn’t go over for the practical-minded. I mean, my dogs and cat would just use the ‘puddle’ for makeshift beds. Wouldn’t that be cute, covered with fur?
Very interesting post, Carol. “A great deal” is a pretty subjective amount, imo. I like what Nicki said about always being a student. No matter how much you know, there’s always more to learn.
My A/C went out last week, so I could say my husband and I are authorities on how to get someone out to your house to fix it before you melt into a puddle of sweat on the living room floor…
Great post, Carol! Like the so many others, I like Nicki’s approach – always be a student. I love learning new things, discovering new places. One could only call me a jack of all trades, master of none. I guess you could say I’m an authority on “jerry-riging” – a necessity when living in an older home.
Oh, and then there’s list making…I have some expertise at that.
Great post, Carol.
I’ve always considered myself a jack of all trades, master of none. Interesting how many of us are, isn’t it? I know a little about a lot of things.
And I love being the perennial student! I am taking Master Gardener classes this summer, I’m a Master Composter (don’t laugh, there is such a designation!)
I paint, know a bit about theatre, especially the technical aspects, can sew (had a drapery business once…but not one drape in my house!, made my own homecoming/prom dresses and my wedding dress, can change out a toilet (see my previous blog post…someone had to do it!) In the construction department, I can put in tile floors and hardwood laminate, have installed drywall, and with my brother’s help, built a pretty fountain in her back yard.
So I guess the thing I’m most expert at is expecting quality work and doing it myself if it’s not cheap!
Thanks for the reminder that I can do some things!
Anna D
That’s my mother’s back yard!