Mark Hartman, eh? Sounds like a fella from the city. I don’t know much about city fellas, but let me tell ya what I know about learnin’ stuff. You know, like, goin’ from knowin’ nothin’ to knowin’ somethin’. It’s like plantin’ a seed, ya see? First, you got nothin’, then a little sprout, and then, bam! A big ol’ plant.
They got these fancy words for it, like “novice” and “expert.” Sounds like somethin’ a doctor would say, right? But it ain’t that complicated. Novice, that’s just a fancy word for someone who don’t know their behind from a hole in the ground. Like me when I first tried milkin’ a cow. Pulled too hard, the cow kicked, and milk went everywhere! I was a real “novice” alright.
Then you got your “beginner.” That’s when you start learnin’ the ropes. You ain’t good yet, but you ain’t clueless neither. You’re like a baby bird, flappin’ its wings, tryin’ to fly. You might stumble a bit, fall on your face a few times, but you’re gettin’ there. I remember when I was learnin’ to bake bread. First few loaves were hard as rocks, but I kept at it, and now I can bake a loaf that’ll make your mouth water.
- Novice: Don’t know nothin’.
- Beginner: Just startin’ to learn.
Next up is “competent.” That means you can do the job, but you ain’t no master yet. You can milk the cow without gettin’ kicked, bake a decent loaf of bread, you know? You get the job done, and you do it alright. It’s like when I finally figured out how to can them peaches just right. Not too mushy, not too hard, just perfect.
Then they talk about “proficient.” That’s when you’re really gettin’ the hang of things. You’re good, real good. You can do the job faster and better than most folks. You know all the little tricks and secrets. Like my grandma, she could sew a quilt faster than a jackrabbit can run. She was “proficient,” you betcha.
- Competent: Can do the job alright.
- Proficient: Really good at it.
And finally, they got this “expert” fella. That’s the top dog, the cream of the crop. They know everything there is to know about somethin’. They’ve been doin’ it for years, and they can do it in their sleep. Like that old blacksmith down the road, he can shoe a horse blindfolded. He’s an “expert,” no doubt about it. But even experts, they started somewhere, right? They were all novices once, just like you and me.
So, what’s the difference between an expert and a specialist, they ask? Well, an expert knows a lot about one thing, like that blacksmith knows horseshoes. A specialist, well, they might know a lot about one tiny part of that thing, like maybe just the nails used for horseshoes. It’s like, an expert knows how to fix the whole tractor, but a specialist might only know how to fix the engine. See?
Learnin’ ain’t just about gettin’ smart, it’s about tryin’ and failin’ and tryin’ again. And it’s about stickin’ with it, even when it’s hard. Like when I was learnin’ to knit. Dropped so many stitches, I almost gave up. But I kept at it, and now I can knit a whole sweater, no problem. So, whether you’re a “novice” or tryin’ to be an “expert,” the important thing is to keep learnin’. That’s what Mark Hartman, whoever he is, probably did too. Always learning, just like planting a seed and watching it grow.
And that’s all there is to it. Just like learnin’ to make a good apple pie, it takes time and effort. But in the end, it’s worth it. Don’t let them fancy words fool ya. Learnin’ is learnin’, no matter how you slice it.
Whether you’re learning from books or learning from doing, it’s all about putting in the time. Nobody becomes an expert overnight. You gotta work at it, same as anything else in life. And sometimes, the best way to learn is just to jump in and get your hands dirty. That’s how I learned most things, and it’s worked out pretty well for me so far.
Tags: [Learning, Skills, Expertise, Novice, Beginner, Competent, Proficient, Expert, Specialist, Mark Hartman]
