Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve Pavlina  If you develop a variety of different skills, they'll enhance each other in ways you cannot predict in advance.
A jack of all trades is a master of none, but he employs kings and queens to attend to the details. |
Once I read one of the members of U2 describe Brian Eno, their record producer and a well-established musician on his own right. They said that Eno is a cobbled-together concoction of a bunch of 2nd-rate skills. Except, the unique combination of his skills and how he uses them makes him very unique. (It's been a while since I read this -- so don't quote me on accuracy)
Generalists can still be a master, by creating a unique portfolio of skills and experience in a way that nobody else can. We are all unique individuals, but by specializing in certain discipline, we actually risk becoming more generic -- for there are others who excel in that specialization, and there are always people better than you. It's a bit ironic, isn't it?
That said, I also see a counter-argument for spreading wide, depending on the person and the reason. More on that in a separate response....
ari