Why I'll never call myself an expert again

Hi, Gopi here.

There’s nothing more humbling than being a complete beginner at something.

For me, that moment came during my high school thesis. My brilliant idea? To build a video game from scratch in two years.

Honestly, I have no idea what possessed me. I’d seen some YouTubers create these incredible worlds, and it looked like magic. The idea of building a universe from my own vision, one that people could get lost in, was intoxicating.

So I thought to myself: how hard could it be?

Did I mention this was before ChatGPT could write your code for you?

I picked a programming language I’d heard someone mention once, JavaScript and dove in. After a few tutorials, I felt like a genius. Every line of code that worked was a shot of adrenaline. I was on top of the world.

This was a piece of cake. I was an expert in the making.

Boy, was I wrong.

You know that graph of the Dunning-Kruger effect? Where a little bit of knowledge makes you feel like you’re at the top of a mountain? I was standing right on that peak, enjoying the view, when I realized the cliff was just ahead.

The language I'd spent weeks learning was completely wrong for the type of game I wanted to build.

It all came crashing down.

That peak of false confidence → it’s a trap. It blinds you. It makes you less curious because you think you already have the answers. You stop exploring, you stop asking questions, and you stop seeing the massive gaps in your own knowledge.

My result? A frantic scramble to learn a whole new language (C#), praying to every god (i’m Hindu 🤷‍♂️) I could think of that I could finish my thesis in time. I only had six months to learn and build the entire game by myself.

But this time, it was different.

I forced myself to stay a beginner. I embraced the mindset of not knowing. I gave myself permission to be curious, to ask dumb questions, and to make a thousand mistakes.

The fear of not knowing was replaced by the fun of finding out.

To this day, I try to never call myself an expert on anything. The moment I do, a little voice in my head warns me I’m climbing that same dangerous mountain again.

Because claiming expertise closes doors. It stops you from doing the one thing that actually leads to growth: learning.

The best work happens when you’re not afraid to look stupid.

So, where are you pretending to be an expert, when you should be giving yourself permission to be a beginner again?