There is a classic misconception in our current generation that specialty trumps being multi-disciplinary. That, whatever we do in our life, we need to be a specialist at it to excel. That, the only way to achieve success in our career is to create a profile that showcases expert-level know-how into our field.
Not only is this idea limiting in every way, but it is also the exact opposite of what we as humans are wired to be. Which is to be good and intrigued by multiple things at the same time. Much like our many passions which are rarely about a single thing. We as humans tend to be, more often than not, passionate about at least a few things in life, if not more.
One could be passionate about football and at the same time be passionate about being a writer. And it doesn’t have to be limited at that even. The same person could be passionate about businesses and nature and music and traveling and biking. Not only is this the way we tend to interpret the world, but this is the natural way to be.
Why then, do we try to build a career in only one thing at a time?
Why then, are our educational systems and social construct built to favor a single way of thinking and existing?
It may look counterintuitive at the face of it, but if we step back a couple of generations in our collective history we would start to see clearer. We’ll need to start from the industrial age to realize how our current ideologies are conceived. Analyzing those periods in history will showcase the birth of the ‘Specialist Generation’.
Blame It On The Industrial Revolution
And, blame it on the education system that was designed to cater to the industrial needs. The modern-day structure of our education system and of our work culture is a relic from the bygone days of the industrial revolution. It was one of the biggest steps that accelerated our growth to a generation of modernity. And to facilitate this growth, the many industries required a steady stream of people who would be specialized in one thing to allow an exceptionally high level of accuracy and efficiency.
This was created to formulate the many stations on a moving assembly line system of production invented by Henry Ford in the year 1913. It was built to create time and to mass-produce consumer goods. The specialists would be trained in one aspect of an assembly line and they would perform that duty day-in and day-out. And in many ways, our education system was designed in the same way to specialize people in one of many disciplines of engineering, medicine, sciences, or business.
The so-called corporations and following careers in these establishments needed a specialized approach to learning and skill development. But, in the current age of technology and automation, even though the assembly line jobs have long been taken over by robots, our education system and career trajectories still follow the primitive structure from the age of industrialization.
“I had a fear of becoming anything, a fear of becoming a specialist. I might have become a doctor, but if you become a doctor, that’s your specialty in life, and you are defined by it. One of the attractions of being a writer is that you’re never a specialist. Your field is entirely open; your field is the entire human condition.” — Graham Swift
At this point, it is important to highlight that some disciplines, much like being a doctor requires specialization and years of practice. But, that is in no way a deterrent or an excuse to pursue any other interests one has. In fact, many medical professionals, like anyone else, have quite literally many passions other than their profession. And this is quite true for all of us as well.
What the current generation needs is an understanding that we are well out of our industrial revolution eras and are deep into the technological revolution. Most, if not all, jobs that were designed to be specialized will be taken over by machines and smart computers. The assembly line philosophy of living was a seed required for the human race to reach the current age of technology. It served the purpose beautifully and it’s time to move on to a better way of living and career building.
It’s time to evolve.
Personal Evolution Starts By Following Your Passion
Human interests are basically as complex as our existence and social construct. There isn’t a one-size-fits-all for anything that we do today. And it is very much true for our career and our educational needs. If we could, for a minute, detach ourselves from the educational system that we have, didn’t we all find ourselves at crossroads when we have to choose a career path knowing that we will have to stick to it our entire lives?
We’ve all faced the challenge of taking up a career path over another. Would it be the right decision to take up football as a career option or does it make more sense to pursue writing as a career? While it is true that focusing our energies on one thing provides a greater probability of excelling at it, it is no way a given that it will bring us success. And to top it off, it is not in our nature to do that.
This is where our passions come into the picture. All of us are passionate about at least a thing in our life. Most of us might have more than one passion. Whatever it is, the current age has all the means required to build a career in whatever you’re passionate about. There are ample avenues that are available today that can help you build your passion into a career. But the reality is that we are still stuck in the metaphoric ‘middle ages’ when it comes to our career. And because of that, we long for time out of our career to pursue our passions.
There are increasingly more people who are stuck in a job they don’t want to continue. This is unfortunate. And more than that, it isn’t required anymore. It isn’t even required to build a career in one of the many passions that you may have. You can build different careers in different and completely unrelated passions that you have.
You can very well build a career in football training or building a community, and build a career simultaneously in writing. You can also combine it to create a career in writing about football. It doesn’t have to be the same example we’ve used here. You can very well be a passionate potter and a web designer all at the same time.
It is not only within reach, rather it is the need.
The future will be written by people who will be good at multiple different things and in turn be able to bring in learning from different fields to create innovative solutions. The age of specializations is almost over. The age of being good at different things has arrived.
And all you need to do is to find a place where your many passions find a natural belonging. A place where you can build on your interests, find people who share the same passions and in-turn create an eco-system where everyone grows. Both professionally and personally.
