Smart vs. Knowledgeable

 A while ago, I made posted a quote from my teacher that stated his response to being called smart.  It stated that to sound smart is to be able to talk about something people don’t know about.  However, this just goes to show you that being smart and knowledgeable are almost synonymous in today’s culture.

A misinterpreted compliment

Over the course of my work, I have noticed people think that I am smart for knowing something they do not. They also take for granted the steps that I had to go through to be knowledgeable, often stating that my experience (prior work, education, etc.) prepped me for this.  It is almost as if they are trying to justify their lack of knowledge by labeling knowledgeable people as smart.  This infuriates me to some degree, but I try to take it as a compliment.

Knowledgeable =/= Smart 

Let’s clear this up.  Smart people can learn things quickly.  Knowledgeable people have learned many things.  Therefore, smart people in general can be considered knowledgeable.  The distinction is that smart people thrive in situations where they are ignorant.  I’m sure you have that one friend, or maybe this is you, whom you play a new board game with, and s/he just crushes you with some strategy they thought up on the spot.  They accelerate through the beginning of the learning curve.

A knowledgeable friend may not have that beginner’s luck, but through sheer volume, they have figured out the best way to react to situations.  To get to the highest level, they must deal with the roller coaster of motivation.  In the end, this can be anyone, but not everyone is willing to struggle through it.

How to be knowledgeable 

Being smart is pretty much a birth right, it is hard to impossible to become it.  Thus, you shouldn’t ever try to change your core logic to do so.  What everyone wants to be is knowledgeable.  I’ve known a lot of smart people who are extremely lazy.  Every problem is easy, so they are the biggest procrastinators.  Don’t get disheartened by the child prodigy and strive to become the wise old man.

As I stated earlier, people think I am smart, and they use that to justify what they know.  Peter is smart that’s why he knows it.  He has this experience, and this pedigree.  However, I think this undersells the amount of work that it took to become knowledgeable.  I like to learn, and took the time to learn it.  My last job didn’t force me to learn AngularJS or had any dedicated resource to figure it out.  It was a year of trial, error, and research by myself.

Final Thoughts

Firstly, don’t discount your peers.  It is easy to say that someone is such and such, because he went to Harvard or Yale.  However, you only have a small window of insight into their experience.  Secondly, use someone as a benchmark.  If a guy seems smart, then use him as a benchmark.  Surpass him. Find a new mentor.  Rinse and repeat.  Challenge yourself to be the smartest guy in the room.  Finally, always ask questions, and always challenge people.  I am a natural debater, so this comes naturally to me.  I will argue with people over the smallest little detail, and I don’t care about winning.  If you start to lose the debate, find a new angle to expose.

                       

Thanks,

Peter