"Why Most People Never Realize They Are Still Beginners"

If you are in a group and long-term unable to identify people with lower skill levels, then you yourself are likely at that level. This statement applies to any competitive field. In the crypto world, it’s even more brutal.

1. The Biggest Trap in Trading: Thinking You’re “No Longer a Beginner”
Many people who have been trading crypto for a few years enter a dangerous phase: they are no longer complete novices but far from mature.

They might think:

- I’ve learned some techniques
- I understand the cycles a bit
- I’ve made some money
- I’ve been educated by the market

So they default to a premise:

“I probably don’t count as a rookie anymore.”

But the real question is:
👉 What is this judgment based on?

2. The Market Won’t Tell You “You’re Very Bad”
The biggest difference between trading and other fields is:
It doesn’t provide clear feedback on your skill level.

No rankings
No ratings
No standard answers

You might make money by luck,
or appear “very accurate” during good market conditions.
So it’s hard to distinguish:
👉 Is this ability, or is the environment lifting you up?

And once you mistake luck for skill,
you will naturally overestimate yourself.

3. In the World of Beginners, It’s Hard to Tell Who’s Worse
This is the cruelest part.

The lower the skill level,
the easier it is to think:
Everyone is actually about the same
Wins and losses are just luck
No one is much better than anyone else

But the truth is:
👉 The gap between a true expert and an ordinary trader,
is so large that you can’t even see “the gap” itself.
It’s like someone who doesn’t understand chess,
cannot tell the difference between a master and an amateur,
and only thinks:

“Anyway, they’re all just playing.”

4. Your Environment Continually Reinforces Your Illusions
If you’ve been stuck in:
Emotion groups
Signal groups
Screenshot groups
Circles of mutual comfort

What you get isn’t feedback on right or wrong,
but emotional resonance.
In such environments:
Who has the loudest voice, looks like an expert
Who dares to hold heavy positions, seems experienced
Who can spin stories, appears logical
And truly stable people,
are often silent, restrained, and don’t participate in these narratives.

Seeing them isn’t the same as knowing they don’t exist.

5. The True Watershed: Do You Start Questioning Yourself
The sign of someone advancing isn’t making money,
but beginning to doubt oneself.

They will ask:

- How much of my profit comes from market conditions?
- If I strip away luck, what’s left?
- What level am I really at now?

This step is painful,
because it means:
👉 You have to give up the comfort of “I already understand a lot.”
But only by crossing this threshold
can you truly move out of the beginner zone.

A final note, for those willing to stay sober:
The market is never afraid of your lack of skill,
it’s afraid that you never realize you’re still a rookie.

Being able to see your relative position in the competition
is more important than any short-term profit.

— MK Shou Yue