How To Become An Expert In One Simple Step

Last week I wrote a piece for Business Insider titled "Obama Must Consider These 8 Improvements To The Small Business Jobs Act."

If you have a moment--and I assume you do, if you're reading this blog--check out the article. For the lazy among you, here's a quick recap: President Obama has feverishly tried to enact a law that he hopes will spur small business growth, chiefly by making it easier for small businesses to secure loans. The president has said he believes nearly 80 percent of job growth will come from the small business sector.

But in this era of extreme partisanship Obama can't even get small business advocacy groups to fully support the law, let alone democrats and republicans in the Senate. My story took a look at eight of the biggest gripes various politicians and advocacy groups have with the Small Business Jobs Act.

Some wise guy commenter had this to say about my story:

YES, the president should listen to a zit-faced, barely out of school, diaper wearing 'writer' for business insider. magna cum laude harvard grad who's broken through every possibly barrier to become president of a tea-bag filled country should change change the bill to reflect what zit-faced kid says....

Now, my complexion isn't perfect, and it's true I am just barely out of school, but that doesn't bother me. I've developed thick skin writing for a site teeming with snarky commenters. His assertion that I was in no place to suggest improvement to the bill though, really got under my skin.

Arrogant as it sounds, as I'm perfectly qualified to offer improvement on Obama's original submission. I'm an expert. And the truth is, you can be, too--in just one simple step.

Wikimedia via Oren Jack Turner

Do some reporting.

For that story, I spent the better part of a day researching statements made by republican and democratic senators (including those who helped draft the original bill), reading the bill and analyses of the bill, and speaking to two small business advocacy groups. That research, and those conversations, made me an expert. I was well-versed in every argument these groups had against the bill, and the corresponding counterargument. Trust me, I knew what I was talking about.

And that's the essence of reporting. Journalists find a story, and develop an expertise--for a brief time--by interacting with the accepted experts, asking questions and challenging their assertions. Our profession dictates that we spend our time knownig as much about our subjects as possible, whether it's a person, a place or, as in this case, a thing.

Having transitioned so quickly from ignorant to enlightened, journalists are the perfect candidates to explain the angles of the story to a reader.

But you don't have to be a journalist to become an expert. Anyone who dedicates time and hard work into uncovering the truth about something. And in the internet age, information is easier than ever to come by.

Take my health-obsessed finance friend. Dave's never taken any classes or studied nutrition, but ask him any question about healthy eating habits and he's sure to have a well-researched answer. Doesn't that make him an expert? After all, he's interested and concerned enough with his own health to read everything he can get his hands on about nutrition. He can tell you what affect most any nutrient or supplement has on your body. In fact, I'd trust his advice before anything Oprah or any of those TV "doctors" have to say. Sure, they're pretty and know how to project charisma in front of a camera. But there's no way their as obsessed with nutrition as Dave is. So i'll take his word for it.

There you have it. Anyone can be expert if they're willing to put the time in to finding out everything there is to know about a subject. It's just easier for journalists because they have some reputable publication paying them to become obsessed.