I have a lull in work and I decided to do some research on the phrase, “Jack of all trades, master of none”. Did you know that’s not the full saying? It actually goes on to say, “..but better than a master of one”. And furthermore, did you know who this saying was originally referring to? I’ll give you a hint. He was a playwright who could always be found in the theater, back stage, helping out with sets. Trying his hand at acting and directing. Writing of course. None other than Shakespeare himself!
I guess the point is, I can relate to this saying. No matter how much I say I want to relax more, or have less responsibility, the truth is I really do get bored easily. The problem with that is prior to this move I was putting all my energy into climbing the corporate ladder. But even then I would go from one product to another, analyst to leader, operations to sales. One thing that’s fascinated me with every move is how we all speak different languages. I don’t mean French or English or Spanish, I mean different sides of the business communicate completely differently with eachother. Other than that we are all mostly the same. How we learn is the same, processes can be similar even. The one big difference I’ve learned is that each section of people communicate vastly different with one another. My goal with every move is to try to find a way to improve the gaps, find one universal language so we can all get on the same page with no biases. But that’s proven to be impossible really, because it’s all based on how open minded the individual is. Their personal experience. I’m sure other factors. And I just find that absolutely fascinating.
So now as I am working at a much slower pace than I am used to I have to figure out what I will do with my spare time. What is my goal here? Where do I want to go, what do I want to do with this knowledge? I don’t even think I know the answer to that yet. But I love that I’m able to have the freedom to be deep in thought. Would I rather be a jack of all trades or a master of one? Do we have a choice in the type of person we become?
Am I satisfied with the fact that I am a master of none?
The Girl Without A Face 