When Did Completing a Course Make You an SME?

We need to talk about how casually the title “SME” (Subject Matter Expert) is being handed out these days. Complete a few hours of corporate training. Finish an online course. Tick some checkboxes. Boom — you’re now expected to mentor others. But… does completing a course really make someone an expert? Somewhere along the way, we’ve confused exposure with expertise. An SME isn’t just someone who has seen the material — it’s someone who has: • Applied it in real-world scenarios • Faced edge cases and failures • Built intuition through experience • Learned what doesn’t work (which courses rarely teach) When organizations skip this distinction, two things happen: The “SME” feels pressure They’re pushed into teaching something they’re still figuring out themselves. This creates anxiety, imposter syndrome, and fear of being “found out.” The mentees suffer quietly They trust the guidance. They build on half-understood concepts. And sometimes, they inherit confusion instead of clarity. This i