Topic: specialty or "Jack of all trade? (Read 246 times)

I think I would rather be a jack of all trades. Life is long and unpredictable. You never know what challenges life is going to throw at you so might as well always be prepared. If I only specialized in one thing and there was some kind of a crisis where I can no longer practice my specialty, I would not have any other ability or skills to enhance.

I would love to have different kinds of options in order to help myself and the society or my community as well.

You don't have to do that simultaneously, you can take step at a time for you to do it. As you master your own craft and skill, you just try to have some peeks with other knowledge that you have to acquire.

And as you do that, you'd just commit a few hours per day or per week like reading for you to understand the foundations of it while remaining the master of that one thing or skill.

Becoming a master at one thing is possible no matter when we start pursuing but is it really possible to even become knowledgeable in multiple fields simultaneously? Kind of hard that is why I said it's not necessary but one who can definitely try to be one.

Also it is really not that easy to get financial benefits with basic knowledge at any field cause most of the jobs are getting replaced or we have to pick the workforce which requires physical interaction that is irreplaceable to some extent which is really high paying job? I don't think so.

If you have passion and love for something in your career, you'd just choose to be a specialist of it. But there's no fun eventually when you get older from there and that's why many chooses to be a jack of all trades and be a master of none.

I think it's changing the variance nowadays because even if they tell you that you're a master of none, you can master something that you're not fond of if you've been doing that for a long time.

What matters today is what's adaptable to you and will help you to survive.

Jack of all trades and master of none is the complete saying which itself explain what you should do. It is not really possible for most of us to be master at different fields and it's not really necessary too as long as the one you are pursuing has future then concentrate on it completely but it doesn't mean you have to forfeit everything, you can try others as well but as I said everyone is not capable of reaching it.

Being a jack of all trade means you are flexible and can easily adapt to any situation and leavarage opportunities that comes your way. This is what we need in this current time. There are lots of opportunities out there to grab with our two hands, why tie ourselves down at a spot all in the name of being a specialist in a particular field. Many organisations will claim they need specialists but deep down they need someone that is versatile, can multitask and proffer solutions to many other unrelated situations. If you can take up any task well, then grab that opportunity and earn, expertise will come while on the job. Be open to learning even if you are an expert in a particular field, we can't really tell what the future has in stock for us.

Personally I would like to first examine what exactly is jack of all trades and master of none. From my perspective it's ascribed to someone who is practically jumping from one skill to another without mastering any of it. I will give an example to express my view better, for instance if someone is into film making his required to have at least good knowledge of photography and other things related to film making while there are people who are specialist on just one of areas in film making.

What I'm saying in essence is that Jack of all trades means someone that is not focused in one area rather he is moving from one skill to another instead of learn skills that can push the main skill.

For me I would prefer being a specialist on one area because if I acquired an extraordinary skill in an area I would stand a chance to grab every opportunity that might arise in my area of specialization.

One can barely be an expert in everything they do because you don't get to master everything as you don't have that much time in your life. So having a single field of interest where you will become an expert and master it is important, after that, you might want to learn a few more skills that could be generally helpful for you in case you need it, but you can't be an expert in every field because that is nearly impossible for a human being to accomplish.
So, it is intriguing to become a jack of all trades, but it is practically not possible. I know that a lot of people are skilled in a lot of things, but being skilled in something and being an expert of it are different things.

I think I would choose to be a specialist in only one (1) type of field.

From my educational background, I am a law student who tirelessly studies in order to understand the fundamentals of the law. From what I have observed, in the field of law, if you are one of the top lawyers in your country, then the amount of income that you receive from your clients can basically set you for life. You may demand high retaining fees and other legal fees if you are considered the best under your resume.

Being a jack of all trades is not also that bad considering that there are lots of opportunities nowadays when it comes to applications in the technology space. With innovations being introduced, there are lots of demands to people who specialize in multiple fields.

At the end of the day, it is all about preference. Do you happen to master one field and you are really good at it; or are you open on pursuing different fields for various works?

Wouldn't that depend on what are you specialist of? Because i know one guy who has specialized himself so far on his studies, and has so many published papers on it, that he is pretty much irreplaceable, as no one in his field knows as much experience of the subject. And basically he can determine his own salary now (to some point of course).

Luckily he picked something that isn't going away, as for example i have specific and deep knowledge and experience about something that don't exist anymore. I won't go to details in case of doxxing, but i had to re-educate myself and start from the scratch.

Jack of all trades might help you to some extent in your life, as it's handy to know how to do things and not hire professionals for every job, but when you know little bit about lots of things, you aren't really irreplaceable in any field. In hindsight, i would rather combine 2-3 things and get deep understanding in them. Being able to understand problems in one field and developing skills to fix them in another is a golden combination. Like neurobiology, electronics and coding or Biology, chemistry, and mathematics. Or chemistry and psychology.

It really depends what you aim to do and some of these combinations are obviously better then others. And some of those might offer unforeseen or even unethical but lucrative opportunities, like weapon design, or some specific research work.

I think for every human being, we have our own special gift, there are a lot of people that are versatile and are good with their art, be it singing, dancing, academies etc, and also there are people gifted with specialities who are only good at what they do but cannot do same in another field of endeavour.

The most important thing is for somebody to be known for something, because if your the best or your good at something that you are doing, you will always be called upon hence there is need. But Those other persons that are "jack of all trade but master of none" will be called upon to seek there opinion on something but certainly not on professional basis.

that's exactly what i want lol jack of all trades, master of none.
this is the only option ffor someone who wasn't allowed to take a degree of their wants or is simply just undecided in what to do with their life at age 21 

you know when you grow up in a poor family where you are forced to fix things on your own when something gets broken, you end up becoming a jack of all trades. and then you are just known in the neighborhood to have fixed plumbing and electrical problems in the house.  if you end up learning how to trade in forex because of the necessity to make money, you have a pack of skills.

are you guys familiar with the saying that goes “jack of all trade, master of none”? because if that is the case then i would not want that i would choose being the best at one thing instead of being average with a lot of things i mean yes it would be advantageous and you would have a wider range of job opportunities but i would like to excel at something and be recognized to be the best in that field

If you must be a specialist, it should be on a skill that is highly sort after, and also where there are no many specialist in, because if it is a skill with many specialist practicing, your value will reduce more, and you may not be able to earn enough to survive on only that source of income. Rather than choosing a skill that is too common to become a specialist in, I rather become a jack of all trade Because being a jack of all trade will increase the chances of me having more sources of income and more opportunities to earn.

In the current state of the job market, there's no doubt that being a jack of all trades is beneficial. However, if you want to stay above the competition, being a master at something is definitely rewarding. Most of those who are being retained at a company during layoffs are those skilled workers who have proven something in their line of work. I personally prefer learning all things related to my line of work, then focusing on something to be good at. It has helped me get recognized and promoted several times, and even being poached by companies, but then again I'm maximizing my value to my current company before deciding to jump ship once an offer pops up.

It really depends on your field of work. Some work requires versatility especially if the scope of work is wide so that you can get more job opportunities as much as possible to get the best pay rate that you like. I’m talking about jack of all trade on same field of work not on different field since you will just downgrade your portfolio and have less chance to aim for higher positions.

Having a specialization is a huge advantage to become promoted or find a better job on different company that has same service. In my case, I specialize on single career path and this makes me in demand to companies which is competitors with my current company. This gives me a lot of offer and my salary increase a lot due to potential change of company on my side.

In the end, You should build your portfolio to increase your value. Having a lot of skills but with same low pay grade will just makes you more tired due to more working hours. You should focus on increasing your rate through the quality of the job you can provide to your company.

I've also pondered whether it's better to specialize or be a jack of all trades.  For most of my career, I've favored specializing - becoming an expert in a niche field.  This allows you to gain deep knowledge and be invaluable in your specialty.   

Yet being a generalist has advantages too, especially early on.  It gives you flexibility to explore, finding where your true interests lie and  once you discover your passion you can zero in, delving deeper into a specialty.   

The best specialists continue learning though, staying updated in their main field and related ones.  So its not necessarily an either/or choice.  In the end, I'd likely start broad then specialize once I find my niche.  But either path can lead to success with continuous learning.

Being a specialist in one chosen industry allows for real expertise & can lead to greater recognition & opportunities within that specific field. On the other hand being a jack of all trades offers versatility & the ability to adapt to different situations which can be valuable in an ever changing job market. The best approach may be a combination of both where you have a strong specialisation but also a broad skill set to navigate various challenges.

There is a paramount reason why it is said, 'a jack of all trades, a master of none. A specialty has a mastery of that which he's specialized in, while a jack of all trades only has a scope of knowledge in different areas and can't be compared to those that are specialty each to those areas, there knowledge is broad.

When someone with knowledge about a program is need a jack of all trades can be called upon, but when the service of a specialty in that area is needed a jack of all trades wouldn't fit it.

Being a jack of all trades is good, but no matter how it may be exaggerated, there's a very big demarcatory line between someone who specializes in a particular field and someone who has a surface knowledge of a skill. In that regard, Instead of acquiring peripheral knowledge of lets say five different skills, I'd rather take my time to learn one of them very well that will make me stand out and be highly sought after.

I think that you can be a specialist and have that rare skill and have also knowledge about other skills for being a jack of all trades. Quite confusing but if you're mastering a certain skill, that won't stop you from learning more as it's a continuous process for you to have more skills when you're done with the other. Career wise, you can stay and be a specialist but once you're already there and stable, you can now learn other skills and be a jack of all trades.

jack of all trades master of none but often time better than master of one i've seen such words often nowadays, sometime it holds truth.
nowadays special skills in just one certain area isn't really enough, i've seen many that tries to master various sector of knowledges through retaking degree.

like for example if you are a scientist working on your own company you might strive to get law degree just for the sake of having knowledge.
therefore i think its better if aside from mastering one specialty you can strive for other knowledge maybe not really into advanced level but just general common sense.

knowing laws where you have specialty in other degree might come in handy someday.

Being a professional doesn't mean you are only secluded to that part of profession. A professional also will have other areas of passion that they like and can do well in them because like you said people are not having single source of income to survive in the present inflated economy. The difference may be that the person may be earning quite more from his professional work more than he earns from the second skill. Doctors have other source of income, like some are also crypto enthusiast and investors, same thing applies to the other professional fields you mentioned, they have other sources of income and it doesn't make them jack of all trade and masters of none 

You don't survive just by having one source of income, a doctor for example again can be a surgeon while he has an drug store where drugs are sold. He could also own stores where medical equipments are sold and that gives him more income. So these days people do different skills combined together and no one is lagging behind.

I'd always choose a specialty. To me, it's better to be the best in one field than be average in multiple other fields. If it would be possible to be the best in the other fields then fine, but that is highly unlikely. To be among the best requires a lot of diligence and time, it's not something that can be attained if you do it part-time.

Focusing on a particular field doesn't mean you will necessarily have one source of income. There are many other things to do that don't require you to be in that field to excel in them. Some people work 2,3 jobs, others have businesses. Some have investments and shares.
Also having a side skill that gives you money is another way to have another stream of income.

Also, having a skill or two aside from your normal day job doesn't make you a jack of all trades. It's just diversification. It's a way for you to earn more money and looking at the current state of the world economy, different sources of income are not a bad idea. Jack of all trades is someone who wants to do almost everything. He's neither here nor there, he's just everywhere.

No doubt, being the jack of all trades has a lot of advantages, especially in today's world where a single skill and source of income is always not enough to Carter for your needs, and coping well in a field would in most instances require that you combine a lot of other skills for effective productivity but then, being a specialist or someone that's dedicated to a chosen field could make you exceptionally experienced than combining a whole lot of similar skill on your head.

I guess this is the reason why in most professional fields like medicine, engineering, finance, and even in the legal fields, it's expected that there is a combination of some sort of general knowledge or focus on a niche where one will be called upon to handle matters in that context.

What's your view on this? Is it best to be a specialist in a chosen field or tilt to being the jack of all trades?