The Perpetual Novice: An Undervalued Resource in the Age of Experts

Abstract

Several decades after the workplace introduction of computer-based and networked technologies and well over a decade after the introduction of microcomputers into American homes, we witness the emerging phenomenon of the Perpetual Novice: one who has been thoroughly entrenched in this technology for years without having ever lost the edge we associate with beginners. In this article, I look at the general domain of beginners and a path that many take, not toward the goal of expertise as expected by social norms but in the direction of novicehood. Through comparisons of personality, learning traits, and cognitive skills, more similarities than differences may be found between experts and perpetual novices. I thus urge that the perpetual novice be recognized as an equal but separate player whose inclusive sense of relevance about the work at hand can add a new and positive dimension to our computer-based society.