There's also the fact that there's a lot less social pressure for young people not to look stupid. If you're the senior subject matter expert and get a question you can't answer, people still expect you to make an educated guess. The junior guy they expect to ask someone.

▲ xorcist 3 hours ago | parent | next [-]

That does not match with my, very much anecdotal, experience.

Real subject matter experts are generally very clear about where their expertise ends. Less experienced people, not so much.

▲ zimpenfish 3 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

> There's also the fact that there's a lot less social pressure for young people not to look stupid.

Also also they tend to be less financially "tethered" for want of a better word - mortgages, families, children, etc. - which makes it easier for them to be risky (consciously or not) about what/who/where they work on/with.

Probably not likely to be jumping from your stable 9/5 to a startup when you've got your semi-detached with 4 kids.

▲ iamflimflam1 6 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

The sign of true subject matter expert is someone who has the confidence to say when they don’t know the answer.

	▲	jodrellblank 2 hours ago \| parent \| next [-]
		`input(“ask me any question”) print(“I don’t know”)` behold, Plato’s PhD level expert on any topic.
	▲	bonoboTP 4 hours ago \| parent \| prev \| next [-]
		Yes, but that better not be all the time, and around basic questions.
	▲	chris_money202 4 hours ago \| parent \| prev [-]
		Sounds more like the sign of just a humble, honest person