I love being a generalist and having a wide variety of skills instead of just focusing on one or two areas.  This is directly opposite from the way society pushes us to specialize.  The industrial revolution may have changed the way we collectively function but I say it is time to reclaim our ability to do what we do best as learning, experimenting, and adapting are foundations of humanity.

Specialists have undeniably made many noticeable contributions throughout history but the information age has made much of the insider knowledge they possessed more readily available and easily accessed.  More information is available than ever before and putting the big picture together is essential as data is only truly useful after analysis.

We have the chance to make the most out of all of that available information.  We can learn and grow like never before and we are able to do so in a shorter amount of time.  We don’t have to go through as much trial and error as we would have normally.

The stage is set for generalism, but what are the benefits?  Here are a few things I love:

First, I’m never bored!  I naturally find so many things interesting, from art to business to astrophysics. There’s never a finish line to learning and that’s part of the fun.  Endless variety and possibilities exist so go and explore them.

Secondly, learning is fun.  Some subjects may be more appealing to you and that’s perfectly normal and expected.  Pursue those and go for it.  The term “comfort zone” gets tossed around a lot but being outside of yours is when the real learning starts.  It’s okay to feel “temporarily stupid” when you’re learning as that’s part of the process. Many people simply quit and give up at this point.  Don’t be one of those people! Get through that knowledge valley and you will be rewarded as things start making sense and you start gaining momentum.

Next, having range makes you more dynamic and well-rounded. You’ve probably heard of the old saying, “When all you know how to use is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail.” However, the wider the range of your experiences and the more proverbial tools you have in your tool box, the more likely you’ll be able to apply your skills to situations you haven’t seen before.

This includes new situations with new people.  Even though I’m good at it, I personally can’t stand to make small talk as I prefer deeper conversations.  It is an extremely useful skill to have as those initial conversations with others do have to start somewhere.  Knowing at least a little about potentially common and shared topics can help bridge the gap and create connections.

Additionally, I see generalization as a better time investment than specialization.  Knowing a lot about a lot of things is more valuable to me than knowing everything about one or two things.  Breadth AND depth grow as you generalize whereas only depth tends to grow when you concentrate on specialization.  The law of diminishing returns kicks in at some point when focus is too intense as the time spent outweighs the return.  However, knowing more aspects about how the world operates is an investment that offers excellent potential results.

Putting all of your eggs in one basket is dangerous and doing so with your life and career is certainly a risky proposition.  Specialists run the risk of becoming obsolete especially with rising outsourcing and technology replacing human elements in the workforce.  You may be excellent at what you do but computers can work around the clock and they don’t need the HR Department so you just might become expendable.

The nature of work is always changing and career changes are more commonplace so it is better in the long run to be flexible, agile, and adaptable so that you can manage whatever comes your way and not be in a scrambling panic when the landscape shifts.

Finally, having range dramatically increases creativity.  I cover this more in-depth in one of my Skillshare classes,  but creativity involves making connections.  Your odds of generating a real solution are better with the more potential areas you can draw from. This is a crucial realization when considering the notion that every “new” idea is a combination of ideas that already exist.

Specialists and generalists will always make contributions and both will always have their roles to play.  The key is to be adaptable, open to experimentation, and to always be learning and I feel having a wide range of skills and abilities as a generalist accomplishes those goals.