“Jack of all trades,
And master of none,
But oftentimes better
Than a master of one.”
– Paraphrase of an old saying
An anecdote about Leonardo da Vinci, and the origins of the term “Renaissance Man”
During the Italian Renaissance, Leonardo da Vinci achieved great successes in an astonishing variety of fields. He was celebrated as a great painter, draftsman, engineer, scientist, theorist, sculptor, and architect. The Italian Renaissance has since become associated with people like Leonardo, whose accomplishments are so broad and varied. Indeed, it is from this era that we get the term “Renaissance Man” – and, of course, the corresponding term “Renaissance Woman.” These two terms describe people like Leonardo, who achieved success in a wide variety of fields. But there have been people like this in many different periods, which is why there are other terms than those referencing the Italian Renaissance. This includes the term “polymath,” a more formal word. This just comes from two Greek words that translate to “many areas of learning.”
Leonardo da Vinci, one of the greatest generalists in history
Being a generalist (or “polymath”) vs. meeting minimal general education requirements
In this post, I will instead be sticking to a more homely term: namely, “generalist.” Of course, this is in contrast to a “specialist.” Nonetheless, it is also different from just meeting the minimum requirements for general education at one’s school. That is, being as generalized as Leonardo da Vinci is different from just passing the “gen ed” classes that your school required you to take – most of which were probably unrelated to your major or career. Thus, I will not be focusing here on what general education should be required for everyone – a better subject for another post. (Here, if you’re interested.) Instead, I will be contrasting the “polymath” or “Renaissance Man” kind of generalist … with an expert or specialist in something. In so doing, I will try to give my audience a helpful account of the relative merits of each approach. In so doing, I will particularly focus on how this applies to the various levels of college education. However, I will also draw some broader conclusions about the economic (and other) merits of being a polymath or generalist, versus having a specialty of some kind – and it is sometimes possible to do both of these things.
The Parthenon in Athens, Greece – which I use here to allude to the value of general education
The traditional model: General education in early college, and specialization later on
The traditional model of these things is just to emphasize general education in early college, and specialized education in later college. This is important, so I might spend some time on this here. As an example, one’s first year or two of college may emphasize the fulfillment of general education requirements. Most of these will be unrelated to one’s major or career goals. Some students like to sample courses from the great smorgasbord of possibilities, but even many of them have resented some of their general education requirements. That is, they don’t like to take classes that seem boring, irrelevant, trivial, or too demanding. This part of college can often be a way of “finding yourself” (to use the familiar old phrase), as one tries to find one’s passion. In so doing, they may also learn what they can only stand long enough to pass a class – and what they just can’t stand at all, period. This part of the process usually isn’t quite as fun, but one learns a lot about oneself by engaging in it – and such self-knowledge can be extremely useful. At some point in this process (or even before), they usually settle on a choice of what to major in. If not, they incur some heavy expenses from their much-prolonged indecision.
Representation of the Roman Senate, also used to symbolize general education
Foundational major classes are more specific than gen ed classes, but still very broad
In their mid-college years, they may then take some foundational courses from their own major. These are more specific than the general education classes of early college, but also more general than the courses for a concentration within their own major (if such is required or available in their program). For example, an intro-to-accounting class is more specific to a business major than classes in math or English, but still much broader than a class in income tax accounting – which might potentially be required of someone pursuing a concentration in accounting within that business major. At some point, a student may eventually finish the foundational courses for their own major. Because of this, as they get to their last year or two of college, they may instead take some specialized courses from their major. If they’ve chosen a good major for themselves (not to be confused with the “perfect” major, whatever that means), they may find an increase in personal fulfillment from so doing. That is, they can finally study something that they actually want to study – or, at least, something that they believe to be taking them closer to their ultimate career goals.
A medieval baker with his apprentice, a symbol of vocational education
A related anecdote from my own business major, with increasing levels of specialization
Perhaps a personal illustration from my own college experiences will be helpful here. I was a business major myself. Thus, in my middle years of college, I took business core classes that were required of all of the business majors at my school. These included classes like accounting, computers, business law, and business communication. They also included general classes in economics, finance, management, and marketing. These classes were more specific to my major than the math or English classes of my early college years, but were still more general than the classes that soon followed them. I eventually learned from this sampling that I was more at home in the marketing classes than anywhere else in business. Thus, in my senior year of college, I was focused on the more specific business classes for my major and minor (technically a certificate). Thus, I took some additional marketing classes, like consumer behavior and marketing research, which were only required for those of us with marketing concentrations. I also took specific economics classes like econometrics, monetary/financial economics, and international economics. Unlike the introductory economics classes that I had taken earlier, these were not required of “all” of the business majors – just those pursuing majors, minors, or certificates in economics. I was then able to use them to get a certificate in business economics. (The minor in economics was then unavailable to business majors at my school. Thus, this seemed the next best thing.) My personal experience with these subjects may thus illustrate another part of the common pattern: namely, getting more and more specific classes as one advances further into college. Many students have experienced the same pattern in their own majors, in a wide variety of possible programs.
My old stomping ground, in the business school at Northern Arizona University
If you go to graduate or professional school, classes can get even more specific at that point
If one decides to get a graduate or professional degree, then their classes can get even more specific at that point. As a disclaimer, I lack any sort of graduate or professional degree, so I cannot illustrate this particular part from my own experiences. Thus, with my father’s permission, I will instead use his experiences here. My father was a biology major. Thus, when he was an undergraduate student, he took classes in botany, ecology, and plant ecology (among other things). As he entered graduate school, he took specific classes like physiological plant ecology. But, more importantly, he began to read extensively in the very specialized primary literature in those subjects. These are articles written by scientists for other scientists in their specialized scientific field. In general, I tend to think that this is the best way to organize graduate and undergraduate classes. That is, I tend to agree with this traditional model – which starts out with the most generalized classes, and moves gradually to the more specialized classes. In general, I thus believe that the most specific programs of study should only be offered at the graduate level – although I acknowledge that there may be some exceptions to this.
Pin-makers, 1760 – a metaphor used by Adam Smith to illustrate the benefits of specialization
Specialization tends to be paid somewhat better, although general knowledge can be useful
A brief anecdote may help to illustrate my next point. Specifically, I once read a story about a young biologist who specialized in molecular biology. This guy knew a lot about his own specialty within biology, but was somewhat less informed about other areas of biology. For example, this young biologist was unaware that, while fish have gills, birds (even aquatic swimming birds) do not. One can look a little foolish when they’re shown (or at least assumed) to lack general knowledge of their subject. It’s embarrassing when one appears to be ignorant of one’s own subject, even with those areas of the subject that are outside of the person’s particular specialty. This is part of the reason that a broad knowledge of one’s own discipline can be helpful. We might be doing our students a service, when we require them to obtain such knowledge – thus sparing them the potential embarrassment. Nevertheless, I believe that having a specialty usually makes you more able to pay your bills. This is because the trades and professions have become increasingly specialized since the Industrial Revolution. If you get really good at something, then you’ll probably be paid somewhat better for so doing – if your skill is useful to somebody, that is. Even being a “general practitioner” of medicine, to use a more practical example, may be a true specialty in its own right. Making a diagnosis on limited information may require much general medical knowledge, but it also requires skills and experience specific to certain complicated situations with limited information. And being a medical doctor in the first place is, of course, something of a specialty. Even if one’s title rightly proclaims them to be a “general practitioner,” it’s still a little more specific than not being a medical doctor at all. That is, being a doctor is definitely a specialty.
Watt steam engine, developed sporadically from 1763-1775 (during the Industrial Revolution)
All generalists need at least one specialty, which can help them to catalyze an identity
By inclination, I am something of a generalist myself. As mentioned earlier, I was a business major. But, since my graduation, I have tried to get some basic knowledge of many different subjects. I have consumed textbooks on subjects ranging from social psychology to international finance, from public relations to the Ancient Greek language. But I may have been so much of a generalist … that it was somewhat hard for me to catalyze a specific identity. That is, am I a historian, a polyglot, a linguist, a political philosopher, or an amateur Biblical scholar? Sometimes it was hard to answer this, even to myself. There is still some definite value in being a jack of all trades – a guiding assumption of my own self-education. But having at least one specialty helps you to catalyze an identity. Indeed, I believe that all generalists need a specialty from which to branch out, particularly when they need to pay their bills – and, naturally, we all do.
Benjamin Franklin, another classic example of a polymath or generalist
The economics of specialization, and the ability to change specialties or careers later on
The economics of specialization can be important, as economists from Adam Smith onward have pointed out to us. This is another reason that, in general, I would advise people to choose a specialty of some kind. If you’re inclined to be a generalist, it almost won’t matter which specialty you choose, so long as it is one of your many interests. If you choose the “wrong” specialty for you (however one might define that), you may still have been deepened and enriched by the experience of the prior specialty. And it is common enough today … for people to switch their specialties, or even to switch careers entirely. Sometimes, experience in their prior specialty will be directly applicable to their next endeavor. At other times, it may not be so applicable. But the experience may still have taught them something. At the very least, it may have taught them how to work hard, and find satisfaction in the pursuit and attainment of a cherished goal. That sort of thing can apply to pretty much any profession, since they all require some work towards a valued goal or goals.
Power loom weaving – United Kingdom (1835), during the Industrial Revolution
Conclusion: There is value in being a jack of all trades, but some specialization is essential
Thus, I reiterate that there is some definite value in being a jack of all trades – that is, being well-rounded. And there is some definite value in being required to fulfill some general education requirements – which, again, might be a better subject for another post. (Here, if you’re interested.) But I believe that the most valuable thing that one can do in one’s education or career … is to become a true expert, or a specialist in something or other. Most people know this instinctively, and choose to pursue it by inclination. If they can do both of these things (being a generalist and being a specialist), then there is great utility in this – and it can be something to behold! At this point, the person is almost unstoppable – they’re something like a force of nature, ready to surmount any obstacle that might block their path. I recognize that life is not a “bed of roses,” even when you’re making the right kind of decisions … about this and other matters. But, in the educational and vocational parts of one’s life, one can find great satisfaction in getting really good at something. It is often demanding, but it can still be a source of meaning and fulfillment if you do it well. Those who lack skills are often unhappy on this account. Conversely, those who attain skills at something (other things being equal) may see various doors opening up to them. This can be the gateway to other opportunities, and can even give us some satisfaction in and of itself as well.
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