Statistical modeling.

And yes, I am miffed about the use of the word “exponential” in this post’s title.

Cocktails. I’m purely an amateur home bartender (I work in software development) but I’m better at making cocktails than most paid bartenders in the city, including a number of the ones working at craft cocktail bars I’ve been to across the country. I make my own syrups, creams, infusions, carved ice, and dehydrated fruit. I’ve recently started using an iSi whipper to make foam toppers; beer foam for old fashioneds, tropical foam for Mai Tais. My avocado orgeat is awesome. Fat washing with coconut oil is easy and makes Campari and cachaça amazing. I’ve hosted many parties in the 15-28 person range, as well numerous smaller cocktail nights, so I have experience creating thematic menus and then prepping and serving the drinks all night.

I have a ton of knowledge about spirits in general, both breadth and depth. Most bartenders and even mixologists don’t even know what baijiu is (let alone tried each aroma), know the difference between soju and shōchū, or why soju is rarely made with rice. My rum knowledge is where I’ve specialized and I can recommend multiple bottles of each type (Smuggler’s Cove categories or Minimalist Tiki’s) in varying price ranges, what cocktails they are best for, and the subtle differences between each bottle within its own category.

I’m a perfectly average programmer though.

Math (I’m a graduate student). And “exponentially more experienced than the average” means nothing as exponential is a progression, not a comparison between two values.

So you’re asking people what they do for a living?

Doing something for 8 hours a day, 40 hours a week makes you a lot better at that thing than other people.

Statistics.

That word does not mean what you think it means.