Jack Of All Trades, Master of All

“Fiona, you are a Jack of all trades”, my good friend remarked. I welcomed the compliment with pride and a wide grin as I thought to myself "But of course! I am good at anything I put my mind to". So on numerous occasions, I would proudly describe myself as a jack-of-all-trades blissfully oblivious to the second part of the phrase.

"Jack of all trades, master of none".

Turned out that this is a figure of speech used to refer to a person with many skills who isn't an expert in any one in particular. Now that explains the puzzled look I always saw on people’s faces whenever I referred to myself as a Jack of all trades. This realisation made my heart sink! So the second time the same phrase was used to describe my professional life, I faked a chuckle but deep down I was broken. Being a “master of none” sounds terrible and totally takes away any element of compliment from the first part of the phrase. It's a definite negative caveat for me, especially for a young woman

as driven as I am. I don't want to be a master of none.

Research shows that on rare occasions, a Jack of all trades could be equally as successful as an expert in a particular skill. I thought to myself, rare but possible. I had to do something about my condition. So I got to work and made a list of the top 5 things I'm really good at which are;

1) Business Development and Management

2) Civil/Structural Engineering

3) Hairdressing

4) Fashion and Beauty

5) Blogging

Then I made a second list of the top 3 skills I enjoy practicing the most which are;

1) Business Management and Development

2) Hairdressing

3) Blogging

I could happily stay up all night doing any of these 3 skills. I am so passionate about them that I have worked in all three areas with no monetary income but fulfillment and gratification. As a matter of fact, I simply could not get myself to choose the one skill I enjoy practicing the most of the three so my plan is to become a “Jack of all Trades, master of all.” Call me crazy but we live in a society where innovation leads the way. If you stick to mastering just one skill, you could end up jobless and broke, as multi-skilled people tend to get the upper hand in business and recruitment.

A lot of businesses today are cutting costs by downsizing and what better way to do it than to retain people with several skills and experiences who can cover two to three roles for the same pay! If Jack who has a marketing background can handle the accounts and manage a team of people, you can rest assured that he most likely will be hired as a Business Development Manager over an Accountant or Marketer with 10 years of experience.

The ever-changing economy in recent times has forced a few people out of their comfort zones. The good news is life begins at the end of your comfort zone so work on expanding your repertoire by acquiring new skills even as you master your already developed skills. Think outside the box and use more than 10% of your brain's capacity. Knowledge is power.

Have you found yourself frustrated and bored with being a "master of one" and wondered what else you can achieve? I would love to hear from you, please leave a comment.

#Business #Skills #Jackofalltrades