The Expert Beginner

The Expert Beginner

What happens when a software engineer, after deciding that thereâ€™s nothing left to learn, is placed in a position of power?

In The Expert Beginner, Dietrich traces the path of this programmer from rise to inevitable downfall. The author describes the development of the expert beginnerâ€™s mindset, explaining how one might believe in the achievement of total mastery while faced with evidence to the contrary. He then shows how, if put in a position of power, this person will poison entire software groups and create a culture of stagnation. Part commentary on technical groups and part sociological analysis/office taxonomy, The Expert Beginner tells a story. This story, as it turns out, is about more than just an individual programmer or software groups. It is about a tragedy writ large, coloring all aspects of our culture even beyond the world of computer science.

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