While playing VR table tennis, a thought suddenly came to me. What would my ELO rating be in the programming world? Looking at myself objectively, it's 2,300 points. I think I'm just barely past the beginner level. In Korea, there are plenty of 3,000-point players. CoderX Docs, JoCoding, Teddy Note, Inje, Ahn Sanghyuk, and so on. And among them, there are many seasoned veterans who exceed 3,000 points. For example, Han Kiyong, Baek Kisun, JoJoldu (Hyangro), Kim Younghwan, Sung Kim, Nomad Coders, Dream Coding Ellie, Escape from Code Illiteracy...
And on a global scale, there are people at 3,500 or close to 4,000 at companies like Google, Microsoft, and Netflix. (ByteByteGo) ChatGPT seems to be around 5,000 in terms of speed and breadth. However, in specific fields, it's hard for it to match humans. There's no need to get cocky or discouraged over being slightly better or worse right now. Comparisons are also meaningless. What matters is growing a little each day and focusing on the essence of programming. The same goes for the AI world. Even at Upstage, looking at people at Microsoft, OpenAI, and Meta naturally brings humility.
The same goes for colleagues. There are probably people who reached 3,000 by cutting corners and using unfair methods, and there are definitely people who worked really hard and have sufficient ability but are ranked lower than they deserve because they lack a few things or don't know the tricks. What's certain is that everyone eventually finds their true place, and those who put in relentless effort and keep trying to step out of their comfort zone get more opportunities and growth. (Like in my case.)
Stepping out of your comfort zone is extremely daunting. Because you might have to give up the score you currently have. And growth rarely happens in a staircase pattern. Like stock prices, it's mostly flat before suddenly shooting up. Don't hope for lucky breaks — focus on skill. And don't be impatient — approach it with the mindset of gaining 10 points every day.
I'm at a very modest level — below 2,300 even — where I need to focus on fundamentals. I'm just lucky to be working at what's considered one of the best companies in Korea. Let me gain plenty of good experience. There's no need to pretend I'm 2,700 when I'm really 2,300. After a few rounds, your true level shows. Let's do our best with the abilities we have. And raising the ELO of the colleagues around me is the shortcut to raising my own ELO.
On the other hand, I understand why my father valued the experience of going deep into one thing and seeing it through to the end. Table tennis — even if it's just a VR table tennis game — feels like learning about life. Let's work hard every day until I reach 3,000 points.
To improve, let's seek out and play with the skilled masters. Until the day I reach 4,000 points.