Abstraction levels in engineering are like octaves for vocalists. I think I know maybe 2-3 engineers with a range greater than 3 levels/octaves. Mine is not even 1 full level/octave 
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Replying to @vgr
3?! Are you serious? How can anyone make it through a CS program without being familiar with at least 10-15 levels? Modern processors have at least that many and that’s without even leaving the chip!
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Replying to @johanatan
Familiarity and college level exam passing aren’t the same as practicing mastery at even a mediocre level. They just mitigate anxiety
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Replying to @vgr
Sure, but the skill being transferred here is: “how to program at *any* level of abstraction”. See enough of these and variations of each and you’ve seen them all. Much how linguists study the language of language itself.
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Replying to @johanatan @vgr
So, in this sense, a master engineer’s “range” is actually infinite.
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Replying to @johanatan
Doesn’t work that way from what I’ve seen. People are comfortable enough to technically discuss things with people at other home levels but not actually practice more than 2 levels away. Small differences overwhelm conceptual similarities. Skill decays to dangerously amateurish.
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Replying to @vgr
Nah, you’ve either heard wrong or haven’t talked to true masters. People can also psych themselves out and underestimate their actual abilities too.
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Replying to @johanatan @vgr
The situation is actually this bad: with the mere competent becoming known as “unicorns”. I think that is the result of several forces: HR and such departments wishing to “box” folks, imposter’s syndrome and folks blindingly and unthinkingly submitting to HR boxing them in.
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Replying to @johanatan
I think you’re vastly overestimating the number and or capabilities of these supposed “true masters”. If anything I think I know far more of them than usual, which throws the average/median engineer’s limited range into sharp relief.
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Replying to @vgr
You’re denying my lived experience but ok. We can agree to disagree.
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Consider that you may have preferentially sought out and chosen to work with top talent and may yourself be good enough that they want to. The industry average is nothing like the cream.
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