The Jack of all Trades Myth
Welcome to August, we kicked off the business year with “Future-Proofing Your Job” and we highlighted two ways by which you can future-proof your job; by “Committing to Lifelong Learning” and by “Learning across Different Fields.” We focused on “Committing to Lifelong Learning” throughout the first half of the year. Subsequently, we are going to be focusing on “Learning across Different Fields” and this month we are looking at “The Jack of All Trades Myth.”
You have heard the old quote right? “Jack of all trades, master of none?” but did you know it has been incompletely quoted for as long as you’ve probably known it? The complete version actually reads: “Jack of all trades, master of none, though often better than a master of one.” – Adam Savage. Unlike what our version would lead you to believe, having multiple interests but not being an expert in all could actually prove advantageous.
Most employees and business owners believe they have to specialize in order to give the best to their employer and clients respectively. That’s true most times, but in the workplace of the future, especially with the current unpredictable rate of technological advancement, being useful only in one area is not a safe route to ply. Here is why. The moment a machine or an application can achieve what your specialisation can, your usefulness in the workplace expires.
Sam plays music, different instruments. He is a self-taught Carpenter, a Mason, Electrician, Web Developer, Electronic geek, Video Editor, Photo Editor, Music composer, Music Producer, DIY Enthusiast, Entrepreneur, Mechanic, he is also into computer repair and diagnosis. Even though Sam is not exactly an expert in any of these fields, he finds himself useful for different people, reasons and at different places. Always busy and steadily having multiple income streams.
Did you know that naysayers insulted William Shakespeare by calling him a Johannes factotum (Johnny do-it-all)? They weren’t wrong. Shakespeare did do it all. He was a playwright, a poet, an actor, a businessman, a landowner, and a fundraiser. So you’re definitely in pretty good company if you’re a Jack of all Trades.
Formal education, discipline focus and career specialisation remain important, but they are not fully sufficient because of how rapidly the world around us is evolving. Therefore, you should regularly work to improve your professional skills, explore new interests that are more cerebral than mechanical, you can take up new hobbies as well. These will psyche you up to be a participant and not a victim of the workplace evolution.
See you next month.