The Illusion of Expertise: A Software Engineer’s Perspective on LinkedIn Gurus

As a critically-minded software engineer and trader finding real consistency, I’ve spent years observing the self-help and trading advice industries. What I’ve discovered is both enlightening and concerning. Let me share my insights and why I believe we should approach “expert” advice with healthy skepticism.

The Trading Industry: A Case Study in Deception

It took me nearly three years to realize a startling truth: many individuals selling trading advice can’t actually profit from trading themselves. This revelation led me to question: if this industry, with its verifiable performance metrics, is rife with false experts, what lies beneath the surface in less quantifiable fields like productivity and motivation?

Consider this:

1. Patrick Weiland, once voted the #1 trader on YouTube by ICT, later posted a video exposing the harsh realities of the industry.
2. Cameron Fous, a genuinely skilled trader, admits that he earns more from alternative income streams than from trading itself.

These are the exceptions – actual profitable traders. I suspect many of those flaunting luxurious lifestyles on social media can’t generate consistent profits and may be using demo accounts to create an illusion of success.

The Rarity of True Expertise

Let’s put this into perspective. In my first year of consistent trading profits, I’ve realized I’m in the top 1% of traders. But how rare is that 1%?

Consider income as an analogy: The top 1% of earners in Canada make $512,000 or more annually. How many people do you know in that bracket? I don’t know any personally. Now, imagine how much rarer a consistently profitable trader must be.

Let me frame it differently again: without a mentor or good information, it cost me roughly $400,000 in personal investment and opportunity cost for me to learn how to extract even a modest profit from the market. This level of commitment is simply unrealistic for most people, and unfortunately if you’re buying content to help learn how to trade from most anyone, it’s probably bad content from people who don’t know how to profit consistently themselves. It’s a very sad reality! Even having found good trading advice early, I didn’t have any kind of methodology to build my practice around, and I had to “discover” that methodology to achieve consistency on my own. This is why K-Xs exists, though, I’m going to try to fill that gap.

The AI Revolution and Its Implications

Recently, I’ve harnessed the power of Large Language Models (LLMs) to dramatically increase my productivity – we’re talking 10x to 20x improvements almost overnight. This experience has further challenged my perspective on the “hustle” culture.

While there’s no substitute for the hard work I put into trading, I’ve realized how easy it would be to create a façade of expertise in other fields. With AI, anyone could potentially:

1. Feed a few books into an LLM
2. Generate “fresh” content section by section
3. Slap “Author” on their LinkedIn profile

The ease of content creation in the AI era has devalued traditional markers of expertise, like book authorship. I’ve been through the rigorous process with reputable publishers like Packt and O’Reilly, but I question whether these credentials hold the same weight they once did.

The Broader Implications

My experiences in trading and software engineering have made me deeply skeptical of self-proclaimed experts in less quantifiable fields, especially after looking at the services surrounding trading. If someone can generate millions in revenue selling ineffective trading strategies, how likely is it that “gurus” in productivity, motivation, or other soft skills are offering genuine value? I’ll tell you that, even in software, when I started working beside people on my bookshelf, I had similar revelations. They say: “Those that can’t do, teach.”

Conclusion

As we navigate this landscape of digital influence and AI-assisted content creation, it’s crucial to approach claims of expertise with a critical eye. Real knowledge and skills are hard-won through thousands of hours of dedicated effort. While AI tools can enhance productivity and assist in content creation, they can’t replace genuine expertise and experience.

Be wary of those selling dreams, especially in fields where results are hard to quantify. Instead, focus on developing your own skills, critical thinking, and real-world experience. A process of honest self-review and really doing reps on weaknesses will get you farther than buying anything out there will. I’ve heard the same ideas from high-performers out in the wild, including NFL hall-of-famers and 8 figure a year traders. In a world of increasing digital noise, these will be your most valuable assets.