Not T, Not I, But A Different Letter…

The Shape of My Skills

T & I

My friend Will recently told me how his career molded him into a T-shaped person. As an Excel, SQL and data analytics master, he has worked in healthcare and as a consultant for companies in various fields. He’s also a founding partner in a business.

Will has deep skills in one area (the vertical stroke of the “T”) but has worked across several different industries (the horizontal cross bar).

The T-shaped skills description fits him well, to a “T”.

Contrast that to“I-shaped” skills.

These people have one very deep skill set and have usually been in the same industry for a number of years. They usually fit into a more traditional career path and mold.

My friend explained all of this to me and then said: “You’re a T-shaped skills person, too.”

Hmmm. I wasn’t so sure.

The problem I have with the “T” and “I” skills is the precision of the lines. They’re so…one-directional. Those aren’t fun-shaped letters.

Why can’t I have cool skills shaped like a Q? Or maybe I’m well rounded like a B?

I understood what my friend described. I have skills in one area (writing) across a variety of disciplines (marketing, copywriting, journalism, teaching).

That seemed to be a T. Or maybe those fields are so closely related that it’s an I? Or is it a bloated D?

Finally, it hit me. The perfect letter.

S.

Like the T, S moves horizontally and downward. It shows a broad interest in diverse fields, but with a meandering path as the depth of skills develop.

It shows a more realistic progression. We wander down curved roads without knowing what’s around the bend. As we learn more about our craft, the ideas start to flow, our skills develop and our craft is more effective.

The learning process is rarely a straight line in any direction. Our skills haven’t come through one set of experiences either.

Forget the lines of T and I. Embrace the S.