Guru status?

[PatrickIRL]

This has been on my mind for a while and I thought I'd put it out there and see what reaction I get.
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My question is; "At what point in your career are you considered a guru?"
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I realise that it would be incredibly presumptious to call oneself a guru and I'm not claiming that I am.
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Is it defined as all-knowing with a vast array of knowledge covering many languages, many system, etc?
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Can it be defined as extensive knowledge in a single area rather than all-encompasing??
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Is it defined as someone who everybody runs to when something goes wrong?
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Just curious, what are your thoughts ???????

Patrick

 

[11011110000]

So who gave them

a 5 star academic rating out of 5.

 

[Terpsfan]

It was not US News and World Report. It was a book that ranked 300 of the top colleges in the country. I think it was by New York Times. Admittedly it was about 10 years ago but I have seen other sources that talk about it's stellar academic reputation. I happen to live in the area still so I know about it.

And thanks for your clarification about tutor.

 

[Dollie]

Sounds like the "no child left behind" theory taken to extremes...

 

[Terpsfan]

You all have voiced your total disdain for this type of education, etc, but apparently it works.

Everyone takes the same regimen, the Great Books program, in which you read 250 of the books on the list. You would read Aristotle, Plato, Euclid, etc.

I didn't go to St John's College but I like the liberal arts approach they take. This approach is not for everyone, but it works enough.

 

[lespaul]

On this subject, here is a very interesting look on education from one teacher's perspective. I've been reading the on-line version and plan to buy the book.

The Underground History of American Education

Leslie

 

[dilettante]

I've come across a group of elementary level techers socially recently. Statements like "I don't believe in science, can you see a molecule? Why should I be expected to teach it?" scare the heck out of me. They are very common though, another being "You just teach the math out of the book, it isn't supposed to make sense to you."

Our education problems start early on. Though I have always tried to support teaching as a profession I now have serious reservations about teachers. Reality bites.

 

[ZoomerZ]

My friend who answers every IT question I have without thinking much is a guru to me. I also know those who think they are and it makes it funny. SO I laugh...

 

[Onyxpurr]

Gurus/Wizards:

I have been applied the status of 'guru' by co-workers, co-students, and peers before. Do I think I really am one? No. If allowed myself to think that, then there would be no need to learn anything more, and I definately need to keep learning.

Is it flattering? Yes! If someone has complemented you for doing a job well done, then by all means feels flattered (no matter the source). I do agree that one should never apply this title to themselves though.

Education:

"No child left behind" has made a mockery of our system. Anyone with a child in the public school system would know this. My mother-in-law who has taught special education for years has recently been laid off because there was no more funding for her program.

I agree with SQL sister, a professor is a professor, not a glorified student. A professor does know more about the subject than the students, however they also deal with the management of the class and other administrative abilities. Perhaps that's the problems with our educational system. To me there is no greater job than being a teacher. They clear the path for future generations and take care of our children when their at school (which is quite a considerable amount of time.) Anyone should be honored to be a teacher, not asked to take pay cuts, or pay for supplies out of their salary, or deal with the administrative bs that teachers deal with today.

(Steps off soapbox)

 

[jrohrbach]

When I was in college, we distinguished people as being "geeks, freaks, and jocks." A geek was one that studied a subject all the time and talked about little else but had no real flair or style (which matches a dictionary definition I found, "singled-minded or accomplished in scientific or technical pursuits but felt to be socially inept"). A freak was one who purely loved a subject and conveyed an infectious excitement even if they took no courses in it or had no 'official' connection to it (defined as "an enthusiast"). A jock was one who studied the subject, knew the material, and loved it (kind of a combination uber-geek-freek, or, as one definition has it, "a specialist in some particular computing area" although at my school we used the term across the board such as "archie jock" or "math jock").

In my professional career since college, I have taken to using a slightly more accurate, and also much older, classification set: apprentice, journeyman, and master. An apprentice is defined as "a beginner, a learner." A journeyman is an "experienced and competent but undistinguished worker." And a master is one who is "qualified to teach apprentices and carry on the craft independently."

You will notice that guru is in neither classification set. I agree with the previous posts that say that guru as applied to technical areas is a nebulous description at best and also a title bestowed by others rather than self-proclaimed. In my mind, it is of little or no use when it comes to accurately assessing skill or talent. More to the questioner's point, I don't see it as a point in one's career path, but rather a subjective viewpoint best held in the eye of the beholder.

- Thus speaketh a self-proclaimed Computer Jock and Master Programmer.


Ever onward,
jar

 

[gunjan14]

Hi,

Omega, slight correction. "GURU" is not hindi but Sanskrit. And it does not mean religious teacher. It means a teacher (even if you are teacher for somebody for only a minute...). So there is no question of peer giving the status. Its what you say .. "In the eye of beholder". You can be a guru for some but student for others.....