The Main Difference Between a Normal User and a Power User
Yesterday I stumbled upon a couple of quotes in an article, where the author tried to give succinct and generalized definitions to the terms a lot of people throw around in their everyday lives.
Those are "normal users" and "power users".
I loved his take on this topic so much that I decided to adapt them into English and share them here (the original article was in another language).
Behold:
Normal users have goals. They achieve those goals. But sometimes they need to expand their abilities to do so.
Power users act the other way around: they expand their abilities so that future goals fit within them.
I strongly believe these don't just describe "computer users" and "geeks", but fit any area of the "real world" as well, be it construction, civil engineering, woodworking, sports — you name it.
They all follow similar principles:
One user has just the basic tools and knowledge and only wishes to learn and expand the inventory whenever necessary to reach the goals. Whereas the other one has a garage full of power tools, gear and materials and extensive knowledge built up not just while chasing those goals, but from genuine interest in the field (like a hobby or a job you really, really enjoy and want to stay several steps ahead of). That way they can tackle problems with confidence instead of feeling "helpless" or out of their depth.
Both approaches are viable and it all comes down to preference and life experience.
So yeah...
Which one of those would you be?