Traditionally There Are Three Phases – Apprentice, Journeyman And Master. Of Course, Social Conditions

Traditionally there are three phases – Apprentice, Journeyman and Master. Of course, social conditions nowadays are radically different from those of medieval Europe. Apprentices no longer sleep behind the stove in their master’s house or work for years without pay. But these stages provide a road map for anyone who wants to become expert. 1. Apprentice. You start by knowing nothing. You watch and copy others, learning to do things as they are already done in your master’s workshop. Responsibility for your work and any mistakes you make lies with your master, and so does any credit for the work you do. 2. Journeyman. You launch your career as an independent expert. You leave your master’s workshop and move around the country. Now you take responsibility for your own work, and you have to deal with the consequences of error. You continue to gain experience, refining and extending your skills and developing your individuality. 3. Master. Finally you set up a workshop of your own and teach others. You pass on your knowledge and expertise to future generations. You do what you can to look after the individuals who are learning from you; you have a sense of stewardship towards your field more widely; sometimes you even take the field itself in new directions. These three phases are a useful way to think about the acquisition of skill. But they are descriptive, not explanatory. They identify points on a path, but they don’t show you how to reach those points or how to know when you’ve got there. They divide the process into segments and treat these as if they were static. They measure what can be measured. But much that is important can’t be measured. There are changes in who you are, not just what you can do. This process may be invisible from the outside. It’s difficult to quantify, and may even go unnoticed from within.

Roger Kneebone, Expert