An authority figure always commands respect and admiration. I think it would be startling to have people run to you as and when they have a problem. Then, you can sit down wisely, ponder over their problems, and find them the ideal solution to their query. Well, it may not be all that simple to become an expert. It requires years of study, and years of experience. Six months working in an orchestra won't turn you into the music messiah messiah.

Most of us lack the single-mindedness to become experts at a particular topic. We largely prefer to be jacks of all trades and masters of none. Not that it is a problem to try to be acquainted with only the basics of most subjects. However, the upshot of this is that we miss out on making the shift into becoming an expert. We can repair a fuse, fill out forms, and help out others who are looking for some advice. However, few of us non-experts can reach beyond and procure a level of expertise that the common folk lack.

Even experts do not have knowledge of every subject in the world. A professor of History, for example, may be a walking encyclopedia when talking about historical things. He may also have a decent knowledge of the art of the period. However, to expect him to also be a connoisseur of modern art is expecting a little too much.

Similarly, it is unfair to expect a mortgage consultant to be exceptionally well-versed in the fluctuations taking place in the share markets. He may have a fairly good knowledge of the current market situation. However, it is not necessary that he has to be well-versed in the various process of the markets.

And what about psychics? A lot of people claim to have psychic abilities. Yet, only a few of them are truly adept in the art of giving very accurate psychic readings. So anyone who wants a correct reading goes to those experts only.

I would love to be an expert in Java or C++ or some other programming language. However, that would take a whole lot of effort -- effort that I am not ready to put in at this point of time. So if I have a problem (and this is not just limited to programming languages), the simplest thing to do is to run to an expert and get him/her to help me solve it. There really is no point in hassling myself looking for an answer when there is an expert ready to help me.