The technical facts you once memorized are worth less now that AI recalls them on demand. Depth of knowledge becomes valuable when it's paired with the judgment and insight to make the right call where no manual applies.
What makes one technology professional more valuable than another? Valued professionals are probably experts at the field they chose to pursue, be it Python programming, cloud infrastructure, network security, or ML engineering, and so on. As people gain experience, they may decide to expand into other tech fields, and presumably be more valuable than colleagues who have only mastered a single field. Some might decide to focus on a single field to get to know it really, really well, using their depth of knowledge as a competitive advantage.
Those are necessary steps to get started in the career and to keep up with the industry, but how can one stand out? Merely knowing the technical details pertaining to one’s field isn’t enough. Consider the following excerpt from Seth Godin’s book Linchpin:
“The shared knowledge of the Internet make domain knowledge on its own worth significantly less than it used to be. Today, if all you have to offer is that you know a lot of reference book information, you lose, because the Internet knows more than you do.”
That gap has only widened since Godin wrote those words. AI assistants now recall reference details and generate working configurations on demand. Simply knowing the syntax of commands to configure a Cisco firewall isn’t enough… We need something more.
Here’s Seth Godin’s perspective on what makes professionals truly valuable:
“Depth of knowledge combined with good judgment is worth a lot. Depth of knowledge combined with diagnostic skills or nuanced insight is worth a lot, too.”
How does one learn good judgment or acquire nuanced insight? That’s where experience comes in. Experience starts by learning how to follow instructions, such as the steps for locking down the configuration of a Linux box. Next, one must learn to make judgment calls in situations where there is no clear manual to follow, such as:
- Which of the processes that look normal might be malicious?
- Should we wait to test a critical security patch or apply it right away?
- Should this contractor get standing access or just-in-time access?
- Should we build our own application or buy one?
- Should we fix a security vulnerability if it will delay the product launch?
Furthermore, insights and creative solutions can come by drawing upon the knowledge outside of the technology industry, such as history, psychology, economics, etc.
The tech industry has reached the level where by merely having baseline technical skills a tech professional doesn’t stand out. Those pros who have mastered the art of making decisions without having the benefit of detailed instructions are the ones who have the competitive edge.
If you’re a tech professional, embrace your interests outside of technology. At your job, look for opportunities to work on projects or tasks that give you some freedom to make choices. If you’ve already had that experience, be sure to describe it during your interview when looking for a job. If you’re a hiring manager, don’t merely validate that the candidate has the depth of knowledge you seek: also assess how the person will act when they need to demonstrate good judgment or nuanced insight.
