Complex of a Generalist
Do you have that feeling of curiosity? One month you find something really interesting, the next month something else is really interesting and you begin to jump from topic to topic. There is an insatiable curiosity that can’t seem to be satisfied.
This is a complex of a generalist. I myself love to learn different skills. I like trying photography. I used to love to draw. I like to cook, write, try yoga, run, bike and the list goes on and on. There is a joy of life and around each corner there is something new to learn.
I love long term goals. I love the feeling of laying out all the tasks that need to be completed and figuring out a way to get them done. It is like putting together a puzzle. I love when those puzzles cause me to dip my toe into many different areas. The projects I love, are the complex ones that involve many different skills to learn. It can feel insurmountable at times, but I love using both the right and left side of my brain. I love being creative in solving a problem while also being analytical. There is a creativity about analyzing data and looking at spreadsheets that some might miss. During an interview out of college for a data analyst type role, my interviewer said they had to look at the data and tell a story with it. Numbers are great, but if you can’t understand them or make them understandable to someone else then they aren’t useful.
So while I love having quarterly and life long goals to work towards I sometimes get lost in the day to day. Not because of a lack of motivation but from a confusion of where to start because I find many different things to be extremely interesting. For example, I’d love to write more, make more podcast episodes, learn a new language or learn graphic design. And while I am actually working on many of these things, it slows down the progress I make in all of them because my time is spread out.
After I finished my masters program these feelings began to flow in for the first time. I had always had a path and goal laid in front of me. I had a goal of playing college soccer. This was my goal since I understood what college athletics were. I also saw my three older siblings play college sports and I thought to myself, “That looks fun.” So I went for it. I had a highly regimented academic and athletic routine. I put together the puzzle and worked with many amazing friends, teammates, coaches and family members who helped me make a dream a reality. Without them it wouldn’t have been possible.
But, now that it is over I see my appetite to be a generalist. I have the time to be intrigued by many many things. Now, sometimes I feel lost because I want to learn so many things. But, I am learning to use it as an asset. If you have similar feelings you should too. Specialists and generalists are both extremely important to society and make it run. I love to be a generalist because each new skill I learn lets me see the world in a new way. It allows me to approach the next problem with a different set of eyes and experiences.
This generalist mindset provides a mindset to be able to solve many different business problems. As the saying goes, you can know enough to be dangerous. You know what skill to apply to the problem and then what do you do? You become an expert in that field. Then when you come upon another business problem, you evaluate the situation, analyze what should be done and then become an expert in something else.
Being a generalist can bring creativity and analysis to the table. Know your strength and learn into it.