A "jack of all trades" is an individual who is capable of accomplishing tasks
in a wide range of disciplines. For example, when I was an Electronics Engineer,
I would design the electronics, lay out the printed circuit board, design the
mechanical components, and launch the product into production. I envied the
specialists because they just did their one little thing, but they were highly
paid and respected as experts.
In your own career, which is the best way
to go? Should you be a "jack of all trades" or a specialist? In this article,
you'll learn the advantages and disadvantages of each approach, and techniques
to help you succeed in whichever path you take.
What Employers
Want
Employers don't want a "jack of all trades" or a specialist, they want a
"specialist of all trades". They want someone who is expert in everything. Some
companies will run the same job ad, seeking this super-human, for years. If they
could find this "specialist of all trades", no matter how high the salary, they
would save a ton of money by firing the rest of their staff.
Employers may use the phrase "jack of all trades" in the job ad, but the
human resources department will filter applications based on specialist
keywords, like "tax accountant" or "database programmer". If your resume
mentions too many different specialties, it will filtered out as being not
focused enough. It's a lot easier to get a job if you're a specialist than it is
if you're a generalist.
But when the economy starts to tank, a company
can't afford to have an expensive specialist sitting at their desk playing
solitaire. While at the same time, the lower cost "jack of all trades" appears
to be busy solving all kinds of critical problems. That's the advantage of being
a
generalist, no matter how slow things are, there's always problems to
solve. Specialists are the first to be fired when the economy slows.
-
Immediately after a specialist gets fired, they will be replaced by a
contractor, often the same individual.
The Stress of Being a
"Jack of all trades"
Over the last several decades, business and industry have become highly
technical. In order to survive, a generalist must maintain a nominal level of
proficiency in a wide range of technologies. This requires a heavy sacrifice in
their personal life. They keep up on their own time, without pay. That's not to
say that a specialist doesn't
need to spend time keeping up with the latest
advances in their specialty. Companies understand a specialist's need to keep up
and will often pay for the specialist's training.
Companies expect the
same quality of work from the generalist as they expect from the specialist. But
a generalist doesn't have the same depth of knowledge in any single discipline
as a specialist. That's why the phrase is usually stated: "Jack of all trades,
master of none".
This can result in the generalist making more mistakes
and producing a lower quality of work. This explains why, although the "jack of
all trades" may have vastly more overall skill and knowledge, they receive lower
pay than the specialist.
How to Succeed as a "Jack of All
Trades"
The secret to being a successful "jack of all trades" is to know your
limitations. Recognize when you are capable of performimg a task good enough,
and when you must call upon a specialist. There is a symbiotic relationship
between generalists and specialists. Specialists often make mistakes because
they don't understand how other areas effect their work.
For example, an
Electronics Engineer may not understand the impact that the physical environment
has on an electronic design. A design that would work perfectly in a desktop
computer will fail in the dirty, humid, vibrating, electrically noisy
environment of an earthmoving machine. Or the Electronics Engineer might
confidently add all kinds
of extra features to a product. The generalist
knows the product's consumers don't need and won't pay for those extra
features.
- Managers do not fault a generalist when they try to tap into
the expertise of a specialist, in fact, they expect and encourage it.
The
generalist needs to work with the specialist with the understanding that they
have no intention of undermining the specialist. They just want to tap into
their brain for enough knowledge to keep themselves out of trouble. In exchange,
the generalist will keep the specialist appraised of any concerns in areas
outside their specialty.
How to Succeed as a
Specialist
The secret to being a successful specialist is to
stay focused on the narrow, but deep skills and knowledge of your specialty.
Understand that many areas outside your specialty can have a major impact on
your work, but any time dedicated to learning about peripheral subjects is time
taken away from increasing your skills and knowledge in your
specialty.
You have to deliberately define your skills pool. What areas
outside your specialty will you explore and to what depth? Unlike the "jack of
all trades", you understand that nobody can be an expert at
everything.
Take advantage of the symbiotic relationship between a
specialist and a generalist. Share any knowledge that the generalist needs to
avoid making mistakes and creating a poor quality of work. In return, the
generalist will share any information you need to avoid problems caused by
concerns in areas outside your specialty.
Should You be a "Jack
of All Trades" or a Specialist?
The generalists' range of knowledge makes them a better candidate for
promotion to a supervisory or managerial position. When that happens, the
generalist may not understand that in addition to the high stress of being
expected to know everything technical, they will now be subjected to the stress
of being involved in corporate politics. Whereas they became a "Jack of all
trades" because of their love of science and technology, now they need to become
an expert at "covering their ass", "back stabbing", and other political
games.
- If an individual, who became a "jack of all trades" because of
their love of science and technology, refuses to accept a promotion to a
supervisory or managerial position, they will be considered to be "lacking in
ambition" and will not be receiving any future meaningful salary
increases.
The specialist is usually not considered for promotion to a
supervisory or manager position because they are considered too important in
their specialty. And that's okay, because they receive more respect and higher
salary than most supervisors and managers. However, if business slows down, they
may be one of the first employees to get fired.
- Because specialists are
expensive, their job may be subject to outsourcing. If it's possible to
outsource your work, closely monitor the outsourcing trend in your
specialty.
Which is better, to be a generalist or a specialist? A "jack
of all trades" is under higher stress and greater probability of being pushed
into a supervisory or managerial position. Specialists receive more respect and
higher salaries. If your specialty is one that is unlikely to be outsourced,
it's definitely better to be a specialist.
About the Author
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