Are you a Jack of all Trades?
“A jack of all trades is a master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one.”
In a lot of cultures, you should go to college, get a degree and that was going to be what you were going to do for the rest of your life, regardless of how you felt about it.
But times change, life changes and not everyone has the same options, circumstances, and definitely, not everyone has the same opportunities.
Now in 2021, we have noticed how things are changing, more and more people are working from home, creating new opportunities and other ways to make a living with more freedom and rewards.
Years ago, I felt some level of shame that I didn’t get to finish college, but things in my life didn’t help me to get a degree.
I have done different kinds of jobs, from office to working in construction, cleaning, as I mentioned before I worked in a lab, being a realtor and I am sure there are other things that I have done.
Having done so many things means that I can do pretty much everything, and it’s allowed me the freedom to change and know that no matter how scared I am, I know deep down that I’ll figure out the way to make it, and with time be good at it.
Is this the best way to go about your life? Hell no! And at the same time, it’s not something for everyone.
I have learned most things on my own, a lot of times by doing all the wrong things first, and then figuring out the right way. But isn’t this what life is about?
We wouldn’t be who we are if our ancestors didn’t try things and created the careers that existed. Someone had to defend another person in a conflict, and then laws were created, and voila! We have lawyers.
We used to have medicine people, now we have doctors and thankfully we have done a lot of advances, but what we don’t think about is all the trials and errors that happened before we arrived where we are. And even more important, if someone didn’t dare try something new, and pretty sure with plenty of opposition we wouldn’t have things like antibiotics.
If people didn’t try new things we wouldn’t have skyscrapers, airplanes, cars, smartphones, or even this blog.
So many good things exist because someone tried something new, that I can’t understand why there is this shadow of shame to someone that has done many things and that is willing to do many more.
We need to normalized starting new things regardless of age, we need to normalize that not everyone can afford to have professional training, and we need to encourage people to try new things, that it’s ok to change your mind about what you want to, that you are not the same person when you graduate high school, college, or even after working in the same job for years, you need to be able to say that this is not the right thing for me and move towards something that brings joy.
I know, very well that many times it’s now an option to leave your job, and you live from one check to the next, and not being able to get that money can set you into a hole, and getting out of it is more difficult every time.
Now, that being said, sometimes the only way to make a change and finally doing what you want, what you dreamed, and what makes you happy is when life makes the decision for you and drops you into the unknown.
Life is unexpected, our world is changing rapidly, the way we live is changing, new generations have different priorities, and the world we grew up in, is not the same and will not be the same. Change is constant and necessary.
So, next time that someone says anything about a jack of all trades, just think about a person that is capable to survive, even when they don’t believe it themselves
“A jack of all trades is a master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one.” In a lot of cultures, you should go to college, get a degree and that was going to be what you were going to do for the rest of your life, regardless of how you felt about…