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Discussion on: Jack Of All Trades or Master of One?

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broom010 profile image
broom010

I did a triple major in math, physics, and chemistry, and a PhD in math where I took classes from many different branches. Toward the end of my graduate degree I often felt that my peers had a deeper understanding of their areas of expertise than I did. This made me feel like I wasted a lot of time learning about areas that didn't matter as much to my degree.

However, I've come to realize two things. First, being exposed to many new ways of thinking and seeing a diversity of thought has value. Second, putting in the time, being determined to finish, and having curiosity pushes you to become the expert in an area.

A few questions to consider are: 1) Do you want to be an expert in task A, or do you want to be proficient in tasks A, B, and C while also understanding the connections and differences between them, and 2) If you needed to, would you feel comfortable digging deeper into a specific area in order become the "expert".

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katieadamsdev profile image
Katie Adams

I can empathise with your feeling of wasted time a lot. My university is simply called 'Computing' so I've learnt a little of everything whereas my peers have become dedicated software engineers or web developers.

These are great questions. I think you're right: I'd rather be proficient in multiple things, whilst understanding the connections between them.