Embracing the Power of "I Don't Know"
Today, during our weekly Data Engineering sharing session, our colleague W presented his understanding of how our internal deployment works on Amazon EKS. It was an intriguing session, especially for many newcomers. However, one thing stood out—W was explaining the process as if everyone already understood each component of Kubernetes.
Our manager, A, then posed a question, "Who here doesn't know much about Kubernetes?"
There was a long, uncomfortable silence. I was curious to see who would have the courage to admit their lack of knowledge. Wanting to lead by example, I confessed that I don't know much about Kubernetes. Whenever it comes to deploying Helm charts, I often find myself turning to Google or ChatGPT to understand each component and its configurations. Despite my admission, nobody else spoke up. I even asked, "Wow, is everyone here an expert in Kubernetes?" but received no response.
This experience reinforced a principle I hold dear: to truly begin learning something, you must first acknowledge that you don't know it. Only then can you invest the necessary time and effort to acquire the knowledge and skills you need. Unfortunately, in today's culture, admitting ignorance is often viewed negatively, as if it indicates incompetence or low skill. I strongly disagree with this perspective.
Those who pretend to know something but do not take the initiative to learn should be the ones feeling ashamed. Admitting that you don't know something is not a sign of weakness; it's a sign of strength and a commitment to growth.