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It’s always lovely to see software engineers link to my original piece on tacit knowledge, saying that they identify with the skilled people I describe in it. But it’s also a little bittersweet, because I gave up the pursuit of that level of intuitive expertise in software.

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Testing Required

@testingrequired

Mar 6

Replying to @TheCodeJunkie

This made me think of: commoncog.com/blog/tacit-kno "In my previous job, my technical lead, Hieu, had an uncanny ability to sit in on requirements meetings and, within minutes, sketch out a program structure that would be the simplest possible solution with the fewest moving parts."

Cedric Chin

@ejames_c

That isn’t to say that I can’t acquire it. But I know the amount of work (and the number of years) to get to that level, and my current path doesn’t allow me to put in the reps necessary.

5:43 AM · Mar 7, 2022Twitter Web App

Replying to

I’d always thought of myself as having above average taste in software engineering. But I recently realised that most of my peers — at this point in our careers — have significantly better taste and judgment in software eng than I do, and I’ve learnt to defer to them.

Cedric Chin

@ejames_c

Mar 7

It was — to put it mildly — a pretty humbling experience. Especially since I’ve always seen myself as a rigorous technical person.