A metric for determining the depth of understanding required to be a subject mater expert within a particular field software engineering.
When a person speaks about a subject with authority, how can we determine the legitimacy of that authority? Perhaps a metric can be applied that will be both fair and flexible. Consider the following tangible accomplishments and the requirements for the depth of understanding behind each one.
100
Did you conceive/invent the subject60
Core contributor to the subject40
Have you written a library/tool that is a community dependency (such asNPM
forNode.js
)40
Are you a contributor to a well known framework for the subject.25
Did you co-found a business that is solely focused on the subject or uses the subject so extensively that it is well known to the subject's community.20
Do you have one or more libraries for the subject that have more than 100 followers10
Do you have a well known blog on the subject that shows good trafic volume with google analytics?10
Have you written a book on the subject?5
Do you have a CS degree?
100+
Subject Matter Experts, top quality authority
80-100
Highly knowledgeable, high quality authority under supervision of SME or peers
30-80
Employable, teach workshops under supervision
5-30
Model Student
0-5
Student