Why I Choose To Be A Jack Of All Trades

As you can probably tell from the name of this website (The Man of Many Things), I take a lot of pride in being a “jack of all trades”.

When I was growing up, I always heard people mention the “jack of all trades, master of none” phrase. But, before I really even knew what that phrase meant, that statement always felt like it had a negative connotation behind it. It seemed like being a “jack of all trades” was for people who didn’t have the ability/discipline to stick to one skill.

However, after consciously being a “jack of all trades” for almost 2 decades – I’m eternally thankful to my younger self for not being persuaded by those statements. Being a man of many things helped me to get out of the hood, become a good person, and ultimately become a man with a purpose that’s deep-rooted in “why” instead of “how” (I’ll talk about this in more detail later in this post).

Recommended Reading: Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action

So, in this post, I’m going to talk about why I’m a jack of all trades and why I prefer to be well-rounded versus being an expert at one skill.

I Had To Be The Man Of Many Things

I’ve been a “jack of all trades” since I was about 13 years old, and not by choice.

See, I grew up poor in “the hood”. My mom (a single mother) was addicted to crack cocaine and didn’t have a job – so we survived off government assistance (Section 8 + food stamps + Social Security checks). And although I feel she did a wonderful job as a mother (I mean, it all worked out well in the end), I didn’t grow up with a lot of opportunities.

So, if I wanted to do something that costs money – I had to earn it.

Now if this was a movie, this is where my “rags to riches” story starts and my journey into a life of drugs and crime begins. Unfortunately for you, the reader, I was a good kid and was taught at an early age about how that path typically leads to being dead or in jail. So I don’t have some Jay-Z esque story.

However, I will say that making money in the hood without resorting to criminal activities felt more difficult.

There’s a fine line between being “corny” (basically doing something that’s not “accepted” by those around you – causing you to become an outcast) and becoming a target by someone who wants what you’re selling but doesn’t want to buy it.

So here’s what I needed to accomplish:

• Do something that makes money
• Do something that’s “cool” enough to be accepted by the hood but different enough to be unique
• Do something non-violent, non-criminal, and relatively safe

So I chose to start a music recording studio out of my bedroom

And here’s what I had to learn in order to be relatively successful:

• Computer hardware
• Music recording software ( FL Studio)
• Music recording hardware (mics, preamps, cables, acoustic treatment, etc..)
• How to make beats (music producer)
• How to record and mix music (audio engineer)
• How to design cover art for songs and mixtapes (graphic design)
• How to price my services and underpromise/overdeliver (business owner)
• How to build genuine relationships to avoid getting robbed or pissing off the wrong people (customer service)

As you can see, I had to learn a lot.

I didn’t have time to become an expert at one skill set because I needed to know enough of all those skills in order to reach my goal of making money.

Thankfully, it all worked out. And that’s how I got my start as a “jack of all trades”.

I’m goal-oriented

If you couldn’t tell from the story above about starting a music studio in the hood, I’m goal oriented.

My mom always told me “you can be anything if you put your mind to it”. And the older I get, the more accurate that becomes.

I mean, that statement sounds idealistic and, if you’ve been in this world long enough, you know you can’t be everything. However, with a good enough plan and execution – you can accomplish almost anything.

And that’s how I approach everything.

So, when I want to accomplish a task or reach a goal, I don’t worry about the difficulty or how ‘unrealistic’ something is. I make a list of what needs to happen for bare-minimum success, and what I need to learn, and ultimately figure out if I can execute the different tasks within a time frame that’s acceptable to me.

I fail at the success of most new things I attempt but I always succeed at learning something new that makes my life easier in the future. This mindset gives me a level of confidence and reassurance that no matter the outcome of my attempts, I’m always better prepared to reach my end goal than before I started.

That thinking magnifies my desire to set and work towards new goals.

Life Security & Freedom

If I wasn’t a jack of all trades and I chose to specialize in one specific subject or skill – I’d have very little reason to learn other skills outside of the few things that aid my specialized skill set.

And don’t get me wrong, being specialized and an expert at one skill is great. But, it’s akin to putting all of your eggs in one basket. Should your specialized skill set become less valuable or even obsolete – you’re forced to either accept the new lifestyle that comes with those changes or attempt to become an expert at a new skill.

But, even if you choose to become an expert at a new skill, there’s a catch…

You’re now trying to learn a new skill or become an expert at a new skill at the same time you need to be good at the skill (at least if you want to avoid having to drastically change your lifestyle). And since it’s likely you don’t learn new skills often enough to be skilled at learning – getting decent or good at a skill is going to take some time (especially if it’s completely different than your previous skill).

So you’re forced to suffer through negative lifestyle changes until you finally become good at your new skill.

But, how do you know your new skill won’t become less valuable or obsolete in the future?

The answer is: you don’t. You simply hope you chose a particular field or industry that’s going to need and value your skill set forever (or at least until you die).

Recommended Reading: What To Do When You Don’t Know What To Do?

So for example, let’s say you chose a particular field that’s going to value your skill set forever. That’s great news.

But what happens if your life changes?

What if you decide to have kids and want to stay at home while they’re young in order to raise them? Does your new skill support that level of flexibility?

Or what happens if your parents or spouse develop a horrible illness that requires your attention during the day but leaves you free at night? Does your new skill support that level of flexibility?

I’m sure you get where I’m going with this.

There are so many different things you’d have to consider in order to choose the perfect skill that grows with you over time perfectly.

The thought of even attempting to figure out what that “one skill” is seems overwhelming.

How would I know what my life will be like 20 years from now? I barely know what my life looks like next year.

And, an 18-year-old freshman college student is expected to know what particular field or skill they want to pursue for the rest of their life?

Come on. We know that’s not realistic at all but that’s the standard procedure in America for almost everyone.

We trap ourselves in this belief that we can do only one job because it’s more profitable for us (the average person) to be an expert at only one job than it is to be pretty good (or OK) at many different things.

Look, focusing on one thing and making more money because you’re an expert is fine. But what are you trying to buy that makes the risk of choosing the wrong skill worth it?

If it costs you your peace, is it still worth it?

Having options make life feel secure

As for me, a jack of all trades, I don’t have to choose the “correct” skills.

The pressure and mental struggle associated with finding the perfect skill set are removed entirely. I’ll keep learning what’s necessary in order to achieve my goals.

This also means that I’m likely going to learn many skills that aren’t of much value financially. However, out of the many skills I’ll learn over the course of my life – I’ll eventually learn multiple skills that are extremely profitable for me even if I’m not an expert.

Will experts still make more money than me? Probably so.

But unless my goal is to make the most money ever, someone making more money than me doesn’t change my life.

I strive for what I want, not what others have.

However, unlike an expert, I can switch industries or careers on short notice. I don’t have to worry about my “primary skill” (the one I have more knowledge about) going obsolete or becoming devalued. I have many “hats” (aka skills) I can choose from to help me navigate through the obstacles and challenges life throws at me.

And if I need a skill that I don’t currently have, gaining that new skill is much easier because I’m practically an expert at learning new skills (ironic, isn’t it?).

As long as I have the ability to work, regardless of the economy or state of the world – I’ll always be able to get a job or run my own business because I can do so many things.

Also, another thing – while someone who focuses on one skill will become an expert much quicker, that doesn’t mean a “jack of all trades” won’t become an expert.

Given enough time and effort – the “jack of all trades” will become an expert as well. Sure, it’ll take longer but who cares if you’re still achieving your goals?

Freedom

Although I already talked about this above, a huge advantage of being a jack of all trades is that I continuously have the freedom and flexibility to choose what I want to do in life. I can switch skills on short notice or even decide to move to a new country and start a new life completely.

“What I do” doesn’t define me.

My skills and work revolve around my life, versus having a life that revolves around my work.

We don’t have the ability to live forever or be reborn to have many different lives. We only have one. So, this means that the only constant variable in my life is my life.

And by extension, since my life is constant – the other variables in my life (work, love, emotions, etc..) have to be flexible in order to achieve my goals (which are also variable).

Perspective

Being a jack of all trades has allowed me to be more appreciative and grateful toward the world.

Every time I choose a new thing to learn, I not only become grateful for the people that decided to share their knowledge – but I also become appreciative of the people who learned this skill and got good at it. I can recognize and respect the effort and hard work that went into learning a specific skill

And, although it might sound cliche, choosing to be a man of many things has made me feel more connected to people than I thought possible.

I’ve been able to communicate and build genuine relationships with people who are completely different than me, solely due to a common skill set or type of work I performed while learning something new.

The closest feeling I can think of off the top of my head is when you meet a random person who has the same favorite food as you and you both have a full conversation about how delicious the food is, the best ways to make it, mistakes you’ve made surrounding the food, and whatever else comes to mind.

It’s a bonding experience that brings two people together that would otherwise never speak to each other.

Overall

Obviously, I didn’t make the rules of life. Just like you, I was “here” one day and had to figure it out.

And, in my opinion, choosing to a be man of many things (aka jack of all trades) is one thing I’ve done in my life that I continue to be thankful for.

Regardless if you’re feeling lost on what to do with your life, unhappy with the skill or industry you chose to become an expert in, or just want to do more than one thing with your life – I’d highly recommend you look into becoming a man (or women) of many things.

We basically utilize the Pareto principle (80% of the results come from 20% of the work) and focus on becoming good enough at something instead of trying to become a master.

Because becoming a master of one skill will lead you down a path where 20% of the results come from 80% of the work. That requires a lot of time, and effort, and ultimately has diminishing returns the closer you get to mastery.

Instead, get good enough to achieve your goal and move on to what’s next.