Jack of all trades, Master of some
A Jack of all trades is someone that is sometimes referred to via synonyms like Multipotentialites, Homo Universalis, Generalists, Multi-skilled people or Handymen. This article wishes to discuss the pros and cons of generalists versus specialists. Next to that, the article introduces T-shaped skillsets.
What is the definition of a jack of all trades?
Like the paragraph above already explained, the term “jack of all trades” has many synonyms. All synonyms refer to a person that is skilled in many fields. The term is used a lot in the following full quote:
Jack of all trades, Master on none
The quote refers to the dilemma of learning different skills to become more well-rounded or becoming a specialist that is an expert in one specific field. The term is used a lot in business, which will be the main focus of this article. However, to get a more complete picture of the meaning of the term “jack of all trades”, let’s first give some more definitions:
If you refer to someone as a jack-of-all-trades, you mean that they are able to do a variety of different jobs. You are also often suggesting that they are not very good at any of these jobs. — Collins Dictionary
A Jack of all Trades is someone who is decent at everything, but not especially adept at any one thing. — Urban Dictionary
Being a jack of all trades is an educational and psychological term referring to the ability and preference of a person, particularly one of strong intellectual or artistic curiosity, to excel in two or more different fields. — Wikipedia
A multipotentialite or jack of all trades is a person who has many different interests and creative pursuits in life. Multipotentialites have no “one true calling” the way specialists do. They have many paths and we pursue all of them, either sequentially or simultaneously (or both). Multipotentialites thrive on learning, exploring, and mastering new skills. — Emilie Wapnick, Terminology, Puttylike
A person who can do passable work at various tasks: a handy versatile person — Merriam Webster
As you can see, a variety of definitions are available about the meaning of the term “jack of all trades”. However, a lot of arguments are going around, about the pros and cons of being one.
Why is it good to be a jack of all trades?
There are several benefits of being a generalist. According to Tim Ferris, writer of the 4-hour workweek, this are the main 5 reasons for choosing to become a generalist:
- It’s more fun, in the most serious existential sense.
- Diversity of intellectual playgrounds breeds confidence instead of fear of the unknown.
- boredom is failure, generalizing and experimenting prevents this.
- In a world of dogmatic specialists, it’s the generalist who ends up running the show.
- “Jack of all trades, master of none” is an artificial pairing, because it is entirely possible to be a jack of all trades, master of many.
Other benefits include the ability to combine different fields of knowledge and create something new and innovative at the intersection of fields. Next to that, jack of all trades are mostly better at learning itself, since they are comfortable learning something new in an unknown field. Jack of all trades are also more adaptable in different situations since they have a more broad range of skills.
What's wrong with being a jack of all trades?
The term currently has a more negative sentiment in society. However, this was not always the case. When going back to the renaissance, being a jack of all trades in its origin was something to strive for. A term you most likely read in your history books is Homo Universalis, which is just another term for the same thing. Many people that are considered great thinkers in history, like Leonardo Da Vinci, strived to become such a Homo Universalis.
As we have now seen, the quote “jack of all trades, master on none” is not completely correct. It is possible to become both an expert in some area’s, and still be considered a generalist. However, given the limited and incorrect statement, let's provide you with some cons. Not the cons of being a jack of all trades, but the ‘cons’ of not being an ‘expert’ in an area:
- Not being a specialist can make it harder to land some jobs.
- Your advice may be called into question by customers.
- You gain less influence within your market or industry.
- When offering services for the same price and all the rest also being the same, people prefer to buy from an expert.
Taking the best of both worlds: T-Shaped skillsets
As you have now seen both sides of the medallion, let’s introduce a new concept: T-Shaped Skillsets. The term is likely to be introduced by McKinsey & Company, which were documented using the term “T-shaped man” internally in the 1980s for recruiting and developing consultants and partners, both male and female. The term was later endorsed by Tim Brown to build interdisciplinary work teams for creative processes in his design firm.
A T-shaped employee, in the context of human resources, is an individual who has deep knowledge and skills in a particular area of specialization, along with and the desire and ability to make connections across disciplines. — Margaret Rouse
At the moment, tech companies like Buffer and many other firms are using the T-shaped skills in their HR processes. The T-shaped skills framework can be adjusted per company and per department. At the moment, the T-shaped skillset is mainly used in the tech and marketing world.
The T-shaped skillset combines the best of both worlds compared to the earlier described generalist and specialists.
If you want to take it 1 step further, you can also discuss whether X-shaped skillsets are the future. More about that can be seen in this video.
How hard is it to become an expert?
As we concluded that having a T-shaped skillset allows having the best of both world, another question comes to mind. How much work does it really take to become an expert in some fields, next to being a generalist? Is it even possible to also become an expert? This, of course, depends on the area and field you wish to learn about. As there are many smart articles and many experts and specialists in the field of becoming an expert too, let me refer you to this and this article. To conclude, let me give you some more motivating words.
If you put in the work, you will become an expert pretty fast, if compared to someone that does not know anything about the field. :)
