Re: Second rate programmers and my confession

[VSarkiss]

Eh, maybe I'm just getting old, but I feel like I learned a really long time ago that I knew more than many programmers and less than many others. It took several years after that to learn to keep good relationships with both groups, because I would encounter them repeatedly, like when they moved from the "know-less-than-me" group to the "know-more-than-me" group (or vice versa ;-).

At one of my former work places we used to say "Check your ego at the door, please", and it's still relevant, particularly in the monastery. There's a lot to learn, so don't be upset when somebody unexpectedly knows more than you. And if you know more than the other person, teach graciously. Two paraphrases:

Learn from others as you would have them learn from you.
Teach others as you would have them teach you.

;-)