[tnicola]

If there truly is an enviromnment that discourages asking questions because they deem them as 'dumb', then you need to work to improve such environment.

In my experience, the only time questions were discouraged (and almost always in the interest of time) was because it was otherwise possible to get an answer to your questions.

Can you give an example of the environment you would be talking about?

[judgardner]

I see this problem among less experienced developers who have a lot of talent. These devs exude 'know it all' and can back it up on some narrow set of knowledge/skills. Part of maintaining this impossible image requires not asking questions that might show cracks. Pretending to know everything is a sure path to not knowing much of anything given enough time and I've seen developers go down this path.

[neilparikh]

One big one is high school. (I'm in high school right now) If I ask one or two questions, it's fine, but if I ask more questions, all of which are serious questions that I truly want to know the answer for, the teacher usually gets annoyed. It probably is due to the fact that there isn't much time in the class to cover all the material and answer questions, but it irritates me nonetheless.

[tnicola]

In high school (and I truly hate to be the one to tell you this), it is quite possble that your teacher doesn't know the answer, so he is annoyed at you for asking questions so that you do not expose his/her shortcomings.

A lot of high school teachers know little past what they are actually teaching and even that not in a lot of depth. This is for a lot of reasons, some of them not their fault, but it is a sad fact.

So, keep asking and keep annoying them. Try going and asking during their office hours, but don't be surprised if you do not get a satisfactory answer and if it does not seem satisfactory, I would question its validity.

[neilparikh]

Thanks for that advice. Also, what do you mean by "office hours"? I've heard that phrase used, but never really knew what it meant.

[tnicola]

'Office hours' are a college term. It's the time that teachers or professor allot for students to go get extra help. A place where your teacher keeps their purse (sort to speak). It's away from the teaching environment where teachers can focus on your lack of knowledge or desire to expand it.

Keep in mind though. High school teachers are mostly overworked. Even the ones that know what they are talking about (some don't - we established that already), so do cut them some slack and be curteous. But keep asking questions. And if they don't answer, ask anyone who will. Read, explore and keep learning. It's what keeps us alive and what - at least according to this post - keeps us smart.

Good luck and you are on the right track to greatness.

[lurker17]

> It's away from the teaching environment

Interesting choice of words. Office hours are the "teaching environment". The classroom is the (increasingly obsolete) bulk information transfer environment.

[tnicola]

Yes, you're right. However, given I said it's a place you can expand your knowledge, it's clear that by saying away from teaching environment, that I meant classical teaching (lecturing literally). Sheesh!

[mattmanser]

Any politicized working environment. People will twist your questions to trying to make you look stupid. You can counter it by actually asking other people in the room to explain it and lo-and-behold no-one understands but that's pretty much a downhill slope as then you're potentially making other people look stupid.

But to echo the other reply, get out, life's too short to bother with that.