What makes you an expert in your field? According to a site online a definition of being an expert is : a person who has special skill or knowledge relating to a particular subject.

So how do you become an expert? This is someone who has a prolonged or intense experience through practice and education in a certain field someone who has obtained this through research, experience, or occupation and in a particular area of study. So sayest Google.

How long does it take to become an expert at something? A theory Malcolm Gladwell popularized in Outliers–that 10,000 hours of practice can turn anyone into an expert though many have disagreed with this.

So after all this can we say we are experts in anything in particular for our chosen field right now? As someone who has fostered, adopted and rescued birds since 1998 I can safely say I have logged at least 10,000 hours, f I follow the rule above, on that alone? Am I an expert? Would people consider me an expert? People from one of the local colleges have called me a couple of times. People in my area have sent people to me concerning birds. I have done a lot of research when I first rescued my first birds logging in eight months of research prior to embarking on this. People have pegged me the bird lady. Lucky me I don’t have to wait until I am older and sitting on a park bench feeding birds. LOL

When I firs started on my series for children that is based on our Yellow Cheek Amazon the mannerism and personality was easy to incorporate into the dialogue and scenes. Observing him for so long, he came home to us in 1999, and educating myself on him and his breed it was a nice transition to do so. This I has helped tremendously. I am able to merge the two together.

But again can I say I am an expert on this? Can I say I am an expert on anything else? To log in that many hours makes me wonder what the people around me are experts off and if I can say that about myself on another topic.