five years

if you do something long enough, suddenly, something people thought you had no business doing, or simply not qualified to do, suddenly, it becomes very normal that you're doing it. in fact, people start assuming you're an expert.

interestingly, when you started, everyone just gave you really funny looks (and sometimes demoralizing comments).

five years of dedication might be a reasonable time frame to become reasonably knowledgeable about something. i don't have a lot of five-years left, but there still are a few. still have time to acquire a deeper knowledge in a couple more new things.

perhaps one more thing to remember is the beginner's mentality - having the curiosity to find out more about the things we already think we're experts in.