Do you consider yourself as a pc expert, in between or just a beginner?

I am pretty much curious how many of our members in this forum are really an “overall” expert techno geek, and also how many are in-between (means 50/50- one that are technically knowledgeable or computer science graduate but still learning more things about privacy and security issues), and how many are still a beginners or just an ordinary surfers learning lots of things like me.

 

Geesh....even after all these many years on the net discovering some items I can't even spell I can say unequivocally without a doubt I have no clue today given the fact I have now read from someone in the know that many of the programs I use are Rootkits

 

I think he ment any program that touches the kernel is a rootkit by definition, no matter if it hides it's files or not.

 

I consider myself a beginner,I can do the basics but when it comes to allot of things i see and read on this forum I AM LOST.

 

I'm an application analyst and believe it or not, I never studied anything about computers.
All what I know about pc and mainframes is based on reading and hearing.
I don't need to know anything about computers to do my job, but I know almost everything about an application, much more than any programmer of that application will ever know.
The problems, I need to solve are totally different from the (technical) problems of a programmer.
So I'm a newbie in this forum and I consider this as an advantage.

I would never call myself an expert in anything, because I still learn something new every day.
Expert is just a word, but I admit, it's an impressive title.

 

many of my friends and my parents friends see me as an "IT pro" but theres a lot i dont know about computers themselves and security. im always learning new things and troubleshooting peoples computers as well as my own.

 

Hi,
I'm just trying to fit into my corner of the world. Not an expert, of course. The strong side of mine concerning computer comes from programming algorithms and methods for scientific experiments. My friend think I'm obsessed with security, but I disagree...
Mrk

 

2º choice...

I'm always learning, and I'm almost a computer engineer...

 

I have had two computer shops for over a decade+ and have worked on thousands of PC's and related security issues and I am still learning and hope that I never quit learning because the day I quit learning is the day I die

 

Just read my signature. The answer is there.

 

No one here is a pc expert from what I can see, myself included. But some here are very knowledgeable with computer security.

And Bigc, sorry to disappoint you, but you won't stop learning even after you physically expire. But some get a vacation at least. Let's just hope yours is not a very hot one.

 

I would hazard a guess that there may be a handful of genuine experts that frequent the site. Like you, I certainly would also not place myself in that class.

HBlue

 

ex·pert
: one with the special skill or knowledge representing mastery of a particular subject
[Webster On-line]
--------------------------------------

Any Windows experts around? (not me)

In "Windows 95 Secrets" Brian Livingston and Davis Straub made the statement that after interviews with many MS developers/programmers, they concluded that Windows was too complex for any one person to have mastered all of it.

-rich

 

I used to think I *wasn't* an expert.

 

Give me an example.

 

Voted for me Beginner, because no knownledge with computer hardware. (Graphic Cards, Sound Cards and such bull)

 

I'm not sure what you mean with an example, but I guess an example of an application.
I worked once for a Container Repair company. So I had to learn everything about containers from the moment the container entered the repair company until the container left the repair company.
The total administration, the estimates, the revised estimates, the complicated tariffs, the invoicing, the container movements, the container components of each type of container, the repair instructions, statistics, ... and all that in FULL DETAIL.

If you want to put such an application on computer, I can assure you that it requires alot of preparation, before you can even start the programming and I'm talking about MANY programs.
I hope you don't want any details, because that's a huge file.

 

It sounds to me what you mean is that they try to make a program that is useful to you. Since you work in the container business and use the stuff, obviously they have to find out what you need , and they hopefully code it up to your specs.

But that doesn't mean you know everything about the application, more than the programmer knows. You only know what you want to have, that's different.

 

Do you really think, that a programmer knows what I know after my analysis. Forget it.
Programmers are instructed by me, otherwise they wouldn't even know where to start. These programmers don't know anything about containers, they just follow my written instructions.
I'm not in the container business either, my boss tells me where to go and to work.

 

Removed personal swipe.

Ladies and Gentlemen, remain on Topic and leave the personal swipes out of it.

Blackspear.

 

so is this poll for computer hardware, security, or both? either way, my answer is the same.

 

My father is a good example here, I think. He's been a programmer for decades, and is very good at what he does.. at very "senior" level. He's reaching retirement age now (although he has no plans to retire, that I can see), but now that he's working on his own, he's getting into areas that he had never even concieved of before.. down to designing and programming his own chips. So even though he was very very good at some very complex programming in the past, he is like a kid again, learning a whole new world. Fact is that it just never ends.. as soon as you get a good grasp on the way things are now, there will be some new hardware tomorrow that throws everything for a loop.

Expert is really a very relative term, I believe, and most of the real experts will still recognize that there is still a lot to learn. They can become proficient enough in their own field to, perhaps, become a functional "expert" in that field.. but I don't think that what we really think of when we use the term "expert" really even exists.

 

I'm number #2 as well. I know how to do most things I need to and if not, I'm smart enough to ask.

Being a member here has pushed my security knowledge up too.

 

Well that depends...

If I've not been drinking, I'm #2 on the list.
A 6 pack.. Probably between #1 & #2.
10 or more: I become "mr. know-it-all"

 

#2 I doubt that I will ever become an expert on anything computer related(stuff changes faster than I can keep up!).

But I'm not afraid to ask when I need help!