I posted this link because I felt it merited discussion and response.<p>I should disclose that I'm writing this as a young (by most estimations) caucasian male, with an above-average earning power (compared to non-engineers of my demographic), and a relatively comfortable childhood background.<p>I’m surprised the author didn't mention the Dunning-Kruger effect (i.e. ignorance begets confidence). Growing up, I knew this by the proverb ‘the empty can rattles the most’. Looking back on my own short career, I certainly recognise that I was at my most arrogant when I was at my most naïve. If I'd known then what I now know I didn't know then—and mostly don't know now—I would have been a less outspoken individual. Perhaps most notably, I wouldn't have bullshat my way into certain situations which caused me to grow: had I known the limits of my own knowledge, I would have remained firmly within them.<p>There's a great verb in British English: to <i>blag</i> something. To blag something is to obtain it by deception or rhetoric, a kind of ‘sleight of mouth’. The darker side of the same coin is the <i>con</i> (or <i>confidence trick</i>), but blagging implies a less grave offense. I am where I am right now because I blagged my way into circles, positions, and jobs I had no proper right to be—I had no experience, little knowledge, and lacked respect for my elders (figuratively and literally speaking). But when you're thrown in at the deep end, your only choice is to swim.<p>I’d like to posit a hypothesis. It’s well-known that men are more abundant in the field of Computing than women, and maybe it’s precisely because women are more humble and rational—they aren’t deceived by the same arrogance that testosterone induces. Anecdotally, I’ve known more women than men refrain from applying for a job because they believe it’s beyond their current ability. But at the end of the day, none of us really know what we’re doing. The field of Computer Science is still going through puberty, and we’re wandering around in the dark finding out these amazing and heretofore unknown truths about these fabulous little machines.<p>I’m reminded of David Letterman's interview with Grace Hopper, when he asked her about her work on the Harvard Mark I. He said: “How did you know so much about computers?” and she replied “I didn’t, it was the first one.” (<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZ0g5_NgRao" rel="nofollow">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZ0g5_NgRao</a>)