Comfortable ignorance VS uncomfortable ignorance
What I wish I knew when I graduated university & how I went from comfortable ignorance to improving upon my uncomfortable ignorance.
Back in 2016 when I began my design career by undertaking a bachelors degree in Interaction Design in Cape Town, I was uncertain about what I would find, or where I would find myself.
As the three years went by astonishingly fast, I became more and more confident in myself, in my “skill”. We were told that we were at the cutting edge of an industry in our country — which I imagine could be true, but at the time I was ignorant to the realities of the college environment. See, when we go to an institution to learn we are effectively paying to have our work seen and praised by other students, while our lecturers are being paid to see our work and give us praise.
At the time I didn’t realise this was instilling a dangerous level of unwarranted confidence in me, where I thought the world would be at my fingertips as I left the walls of higher education for greater endeavours. But while my professors were giving me the tools, the methodologies and the time to build myself up into an interaction designer, I failed to research what the reality of post-uni life actually entailed.
Comfortable Ignorance:
In my mind, comfortable ignorance can be defined as the level of knowledge an individual has where they feel confident they understand something, but underestimate how much they do not understand.
This leads people down a path that can lead to obnoxiousness and disappointment if embraced too tightly, however, it is relatively easy to course-correct away from this way of thinking. One catch — it takes self prompted research and lots of time.
Uncomfortable Ignorance:
In my mind, uncomfortable ignorance can be defined as an individual that has progressed in their understanding of something to the point where they realise how much they do not understand.
This is a scary point to get to, but at the same time can be seen as a good sign. Getting to this point can lead to a better base from which to branch into new areas of know-how. One catch — it comes with an overwhelming sense of the magnitude of stuff there is to learn, and how long it will take to keep going.
This all sounds very depressing, I’m sure. But fret not!
If there’s anything I’ve learned it’s that when you break through the comfortable ignorance barrier into uncomfortable ignorance, you can start investing your own time and knowledge in ways that will help you grow into the person you want to be. Effectively nurturing those branches of know-how into a solid tree of thought and skill — and who knows, maybe one day you’ll get to a point where you’ll be the strongest tree out there!
If you do get to that point, let me know so you can teach me your ways. Becoming knowledgeable about something is a process, and a rough one at that. Don’t be too quick to assume you know a lot of stuff — as it may hinder you in asking for help or guidance when you need it most.
A few key takeaways from this thought dump are that critical thinking is something that should be more accessible and practised, as it helps people question everything, sparking inquiry into paths of knowledge one may never have thought to walk down. Another tidbit that will help you in your future endeavours is to ask for help — it may seem like an admission of ignorance, but that’s fine because there’s no shame in admitting you don’t know something. no one knows everything, so why waste time pretending? Ask for help now rather than later, you will be better off for it and you’ll potentially learn way more than you could’ve on your own!
Now go forth, be comfortable in your ignorance, there’s no shame in opening up your mind to different viewpoints and possibilities. Do your own research, but don’t be afraid to ask for help too — and when you think you’ve learned all that you possibly can, move on to the next subject. :)
I would love to hear what you have to say about all this, all opinions and arguments are open to scrutiny! How does this article make you feel, and why does it make you feel that way? Let me know!
Thanks for reading to the end, shoot me a message, leave a comment or find me online on LinkedIn or my Portfolio website!
Have a great day/ night/ afternoon/ mid-morning/ whatever! 🌞
Images made with coolicons by Kryston Schwarze — coolicons.cool
