this post was submitted on 19 Jun 2025
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For real. Everytime I get in the shower I end up having to point the showerhead away and cower from the cold water and I could have just turned it on first?

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[–] DarrinBrunner@lemmy.world 158 points 1 month ago (5 children)

"I'm working on my masters and I feel like such a dumbass..."

Never assume someone with an advanced degree knows anything outside of that degree because "they must be smart".

[–] Adderbox76@lemmy.ca 39 points 1 month ago (3 children)

There is a difference between "intelligent" and "smart" is the way I like to describe myself.

I'm college educated. But I'm also the guy that took twelve years to realize that his stove had a cook-timer on it...

[–] Pringles@sopuli.xyz 10 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I know mine has one, I just don't know how to use it. Does that count?

[–] xylol@leminal.space 4 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I know I have one and know how to use it but I don't know why I'd use it

[–] Player2@lemm.ee 2 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Boiling eggs but your phone is charging

[–] Wolf@lemmy.today 1 points 1 month ago

My microwave has at timer function, extremely useful.

[–] ColeSloth@discuss.tchncs.de 5 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Anti vax nurses are my favorite.

[–] Honytawk@feddit.nl 3 points 1 month ago

They aren't mine because of the amount of damage they can do

[–] Mandrilleren@lemmy.world 4 points 1 month ago

Also theres a difference between being knowledgeable and smart or intelligent. I know a lot of facts because I'm curious about stuff. But I'm not particularly better at figuring things out than the average person.

[–] CosmicTurtle0@lemmy.dbzer0.com 34 points 1 month ago (3 children)

I worked with someone who was working on his second PhD in computer science and the guy did not know how to print.

Literally couldn't figure out how to click the print button.

In computer science.

PhD.

Computers.

[–] kautau@lemmy.world 33 points 1 month ago (3 children)

I've worked in tech for almost 20 years. A big misconception is confusing Computer Science and IT. Computer Science is generally more about logic, data structures, and programming paradigms across languages. IT is generally more about the configuration, deployment and usage of technology and operating systems for end users.

There's a ton of nuance in there, like Infrastructure or devops, where it's about the deployment of technology software and hardware to power large technology services, which sits in the middle.

That being said, I've generally found that the more specialized someone is in computer science, the less they know about the operating system they use and how it works. Especially if they spent the time to go for a PhD or something.

The smartest programmer I've ever met is my boss, our CTO. PhD from an Ivy League school. Can write haskell on a napkin, even though our stack doesn't touch haskell. Also doesn't know shit about how MacOS works even though he uses a Mac, and consistently asks me relatively simple questions regarding unix/linux differences, filesystem stuff, package managers, etc. It's very interesting to see the difference in knowledge.

[–] SaharaMaleikuhm@feddit.org 22 points 1 month ago (1 children)

You can tell he is smart because he asks you about stuff outside of his domain.

[–] kautau@lemmy.world 12 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Oh yeah he never has that Dunning Kruger setup I see from Junior people on the team. He knows (or finds out) who to ask and when, and always admits when he doesn’t know something. All super important qualities that some people learn earlier rather than later in probably every industry

[–] Taleya@aussie.zone 14 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Absolutely. I'm a tech, hubs is a dev. Brilliant dev, one of the foremost specialists in my country.

Can't build a pc for shit, can't fix a network issue, screams for wifey when the printer's being a dick :D

[–] kautau@lemmy.world 4 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Haha I’m unsure if “opposites attract” fits here, but perhaps “there’s no computer science without the computer”

[–] Taleya@aussie.zone 4 points 1 month ago

nah, no opposites here, but it's been funny watching over the years (we met outta uni) how extreme specialisation has pruned other branches. He isn't fussed, I buy / setup/maintain all the equipment and like all BOFH I'm a raging control freak so I like he doesn't try to play with the setup.

[–] Wolf@lemmy.today 1 points 1 month ago

Wouldn't it make sense though for computer scientists to make some effort to actually learn how to do practical things on computers? This seem weird to me, like a car designer who never drives. Sure you could probably design a decent vehicle never having driven one, but you might make a fantastic vehicle if you have.

[–] Tamo240@programming.dev 15 points 1 month ago

'Computer Science is no more about computers than astronomy is about telescopes'

  • Dijkstra, 1970
[–] Honytawk@feddit.nl 5 points 1 month ago

To be honest, printer technology is some arcane eldrich bullshit

[–] Zink@programming.dev 20 points 1 month ago

Honestly, speaking as somebody with two different masters degrees, it’s a good idea to not assume they know anything WITHIN their degree field too, until they prove otherwise.

[–] jsomae@lemmy.ml 8 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Famous physicist and misogynist "Surely you're Joking" Mr. Feynman comes to mind. Didn't even know you can't have both lemon and milk in you tea.

[–] Wolf@lemmy.today 1 points 1 month ago

I'm not joking, and don't call me Shirley.

[–] ameancow@lemmy.world 3 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Being "smart" and "thinking" are two very different things. You can be very smart but have no conscious thought. You can be a great thinker without ANY formal education or experience. (Calm down internet geniuses, you're not that special.)

We might start figuring out how to get either one if we start understanding that there's a difference.

Your brain doesn't work the way you think it does. Your mind isn't entirely your own. Your language influences your internal dialogue, and if you have no internal dialogue, you need to exercise that by reading a lot more and thinking about your thinking.