In limit there are few good reasons to shortstack, though I've done it to reduce variance in a game I wasn't really bankrolled to play. So the general consensus to always have 16 big bets in front of you at the start of the hand is pretty sound (although it's a bit silly to take that number too seriously, because it's extremely rare for a limit hand to get capped on every round).
In no-limit poker there are some
very good reasons for beginners to short stack that don't concern us here.