
Ask HN: Who was the most competent person that you've worked with? - yan
What made it apparent? What was their routine like? Have they influenced how you work?
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chadash
I did a master's in CS and one of my classmates in the program was the most
competent person I have worked with. She was one of the few people in college
or grad school whose work I didn't feel like I had to look over on group
projects. This was very helpful, because I had to leave town for a few days
before the project was due, so I had to trust her to take my work (which I
started a bit earlier than her on) and finish the project without my being
able to check over her work. Some things that made her so competent (but that
translate into a broader picture of what I think makes someone competent):

\- Technical ability: I had utmost confidence in her technical abilities on
what was a fairly technical CS assignment. I knew that she understood the
source material well.

\- Attention to detail: I was confident that she would spot and correct any
issues in my work.

\- Great communication ability: Technical ability only gets you so far if you
aren't great at presenting your ideas. This was especially important for the
project at hand since we needed to accompany our technical work with a written
report.

\- Problem solving ability: She is someone who is great at problem solving and
is therefore able to work independently when needed.

\- Ability to work on a team: She is also easy to collaborate with and listens
to ideas well. If not for great in-team communication, the project would have
failed.

