In many of the companies I’ve worked at, there was often one or two developers that everyone hails as an untouchable God with a gifted mind for code. They are usually one of the early hires who’ve established a reputation and newcomers just accept it as fact.
Most of the time, this God perception is formed because colleagues are afraid to ask them questions. And they don’t ask questions, more often than not, because there’s a culture that sees asking (potentially ‘dumb’) questions as a sign of weakness.
But the more I work and interact with them, the more I ask questions, the more I realize that these ‘Gods’ are no difference from you and I — they have vulnerabilities and gaps in their knowledge too.
To be frank, even after 8 years in the industry, most of us have no clue what we are doing most of the time. Most of us are just figuring out as we go along. So if you feel intimidated by someone, know that there are no Gods in programming. Everyone have something to offer and something to learn. Approach everyone with the same level of respect - don’t dismiss people as worthless; but also don’t put anyone on a pedestal neither.
