I've noticed this in my introductory computer class @ college, the people that raised their hands up the first day of class when asked who had prior knowledge and computer background are the people that are getting c's and b's on their tests and quizes.
I think it's known as a "superiority complex". During a group project in a first-year course, I had to fill in work for a group member who didn't even show up to project meetings or respond to e-mail until the final week (when the rest of us were finishing integration testing and documentation).
That group member had been the most vocal about his skills in class - but his excuse was that he'd been tied up with other coursework, which the rest of us had no trouble with either. Needless to say, my opinion of this, as stated in the project report, was less than pleased.
Incidentally, when it came to graduation two years later, I understand that person got quite a low-grade degree, down among the guys who still couldn't read a simple C program in the third year. Arrogance didn't get him very far.
The people which stated "no computer background" are getting A's on all tests and quizes, due to them *HAVING* *TO* *READ* and *FOLLOW* *INSTRUCTIONS* *VERBATIM* and materials handed in class.
Ah, but wait, what are the tests covering? Is it just the stuff in class, or is it real-life stuff that is more generally applicable? If the former (this is common), then of course the ones who study will get higher grades - but the ones with the longer-term background knowledge might just be more able to do real-life jobs later on. Any overlap between the two groups might be purely coincidental, and depend largely on the integrity of the professors.
I only got top marks in a few types of courses - others I only got average on, and a few were quite poor. When it came time to impress the industry partners, however, I narrowly beat out the top-marks guy with his flashy PowerPoint presentation, by using a very simple and plain presentation backed with plenty of background knowledge. This wasn't a fluke - in this economy and as a fresh graduate, I have a software engineering contract.
By the way, I'm classified as a social retard. No way can I social-engineer my way through a presentation or interview, without something serious behind it.
I say the above only to point out how far you shouldn't stretch an analogy. Your point was perfectly valid - people who *think* they know everything, often only do so in a limited field.
-- -------------------------------------------------------------- from: Jonathan "Chromatix" Morton mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] website: http://www.chromatix.uklinux.net/ tagline: The key to knowledge is not to rely on people to teach you it.
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