Master of All Masters

Expert.? That’s a word that invokes serious discomfort for me.? I’ve been playing with the boundaries between levels of competence into expertise, and there’s a someday article in the iterations of those thoughts – a longer article – lurking.

I find it’s extremely hard to call myself an expert in anything.? Expertise is a label best applied by another – like a grade card; it’s something that requires external assessment.? Cybersecurity and other areas of tech use certifications to show competence and levels above it.

For practical utility and the ability to shine in an area (expertise or a level below it?) I’m going to argue that the information doesn’t need to be at immediate, memorized recall.

For efficiency and effectiveness, the information holder needs a point of reference and context.

In software development in the C language, there’s a concept of pointers, and the crux, oversimplified, is this: a pointer holds the address in memory of a thing. A function in the program knows the context. Work in the function.

A thing without context is not very useful.? Improper context leads to wildly variant (and wrong) results. ?Don’t send the black cat example images down the wrong alley; there ain’t no fish there.

A few words about the upcoming article, trying to determine if these are my levels. Think so.

Beginner->Novice->Learner->Apprentice->Craftsman (or woman)->Master->Expert->Virtuoso.

We make rapid progress in beginner, novice, and learner modes and begin serious study in apprenticeship (the non-formal variety).

I keep a lot of what I learn in a structured distilled form so that it’s recallable and relatable when I write or have to think through a problem.? What I need to work effectively is remembering that I’ve learned something, what it is – generally, ?and how to recall, study, and use the deeper knowledge.? At the time when I box the knowledge into storage, I tend to also include my own notes and thoughts and differentiate between those and the original information.

Is that practice demonstrative of expertise in a subject?? Knowing to whom or to what to go to deepen thought and provide answers?? Maybe.

Curious your thoughts. Do you value breadth – learner seeking apprentice level in relationship to adjacent mastery (or close), or are we always looking for the experts? Should we be? ?

Of how much more value is the master over the craftsperson? Is it situational?

Where’s the break between mastery and expertise, and is that narrow enough so that it rarely matters?

Two whimsical links:

·???????? Master of all Masters - a whimsical communication tale.

·???????? Mastermind (which AI could tell me the rules of but not make a corresponding image).

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“This comma isn’t necessary.”

Oh, but it is.

When a developer writes her first program in a new language, it always outputs Hello, World. Yes, I use the comma.

Why?

It’s a noun of direct address (world), so it requires a comma.

Hello, Jim. Hello, Nan.?

Hello, Bob.? Hello Alice.? (Those are encrypted)

There’s a post I'm referring to, and no one seemed to get my Hello, World joke.? But now you will.? “Yes, Bob, you will,” says Alice.

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Now, Let's Travel to China

(Do you see what I did there with the implied noun of direct address?)

The sanctions are flying, and they’re both directions - between the US and China - and related to tech, both physical and data. The physical are high-technology chips, AI-capable chips. The weapons at play – sanctions and export compliance.

This is another snippet of my “compliance is merging” argument.? For now, focus on just a few key points.

1)????? The US is working to keep its advantage in the hardware that enables technology. See the chippy CHIPS Act.

2)????? Enforcement of the CHIPS Act is an export compliance effort.? (Betcha didn’t think of that unless you’re in the field). That’s its own article, too.

3)????? ?AI and advances in AI are the WHY.

So I’ll leave you with a couple of things.? First, the Federal Register’s PDF annual list of Chinese military companies operating in the United States.? Yes, this is related. Would you have guessed COSCO SHIPPING (North America) Inc. was a Chinese company? Or that our government produces this as an annual list in study and sanctions? Oh, look - Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMIC). This list is included as parties “thou shalt not ship to” (typically) named the 1260H List.

If you’d rather read about this and its impact in English - https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2025/01/06/pentagon-blacklist-china-technology-ev/

The PDF itself.

And, finally, yesterday’s WSJ readable without paywall intervention opinion piece.

I am but a journeyman/aspiring master level export compliance person, but I’m connected with some true experts if you need a hand. More articles coming this year with some help from them because, again, compliance is merging.

Our clients need this knowledge and to build it into their practices and plans.

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Newsletters Don't Let You Underline Book Titles. Nevertheless...

From The Little Book of Talent, by Daniel Coyle.

There’s a section of the book where the focal point is hard skills and soft skills and the difference between them.? Some of my favorite reflection points.

First, figure out whether the work requires a hard skill, a soft skill, or a combination of both (and on what tasks).

Hard skills: Repeatable precision.? Consistency.? Toward a known result that’s called success.

Soft skills: Many paths to success. Patterns, communication. Timing. Agile. “Quickly recognize a pattern or possibility, and to work past a complex set of obstacles.”

These two different skill types are developed via different types of practice.

Tip 8 in the book says, “To Build Hard Skills, Work Like a Careful Carpenter.” Tip 9 – “To Build Soft Skills, Play Like a Skateboarder.”

Read the sections that resonate with you, and take some notes.? Soft skills maximize hard skills.

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BOI!

Business owners, you may have noticed that the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA) - Beneficial Ownership Information Filing Requirement (BOIR) is on hold yet again.? If you haven’t filed, you don’t have to…yet.? It’ll probably loop back around into a deeper state of confusion.

You can always follow the current state, which is almost as volatile as the stock market, at the official site. Don’t let any scammers take advantage of the state of flux. Want to file to get it over with?? You still can, and the government would prefer that you take that action.

Oh, BOI. Expand the top alert.? (If you show 5 separate alerts, are they really alerts – or is that like 5 postscripts to a letter…which can only be done effectively in jest…like this run-on sentence)

https://fincen.gov/boi

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2025 Speaking - Heather Noggle

Speaking!? I’ve submitted to speak at a couple of conferences and have been confirmed as a speaker for a couple others (but can’t officially announce those yet).

I offer local engagements for free and a few others per year for at or around cost. Those are filling up fast.

You know you want a 50-something digital grandma (in persona only) talking tech at a broad level – even sans “expertise” – on your stage.? Let’s talk.

https://heathernoggle.com/speaking/

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Codistac

If you haven’t already, please follow my company Codistac on LinkedIn and/or visit the webpage.

Also, please be open to me reaching out and asking for advice or even direction on work. Our experience and work involve writing, communicating, and securing/hardening software.

I’ll re-introduce myself via my normal LinkedIn feed later this week.

Thanks for reading!