Jack of All Trades

Have you ever heard the phrase a jack of all trades is a master of none?

It’s a common English figure of speech to reference a person who has dabbled in many skills, rather than gaining expertise by focusing on only one. From a young age we are asked, “what do you want to be when you grow up,” which implies that there is only one answer, one small niche within which you’re meant to define yourself.

But a few weeks ago I learned that there is a second half to this phrase:

A jack of all trades is a master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one.

To me, this rings truer to how most people actually live their lives. So many of us dabble in different career paths, wear many hats personally and professionally, and develop a well-rounded skill set in numerous areas. What if we could normalize this broader base of knowledge? What if we widened the narrative of what we can be good at or invest our time in? What if we could be proud to be a master of none?