A matter of personal preference

Alferd Packer · Post by **Alferd Packer** » 2003-11-01 01:18am

The question is simple: would you, in your life, prefer being an expert at one thing (say a master surgeon or engineer) or a so-called jack of all trades, but a master of none?

I, for one, currently want to be a renaissance man. My two majors are about as disparate as you can get (Computer Science and German) and I take Japanese history classes as sort of a personal interest. I peruse scientific websites, fantasy websites, read just about anything that isn't by Faulkner, and try to gain a little insight for maintaining my truck from time. Oh, and once in a while I write.

So yeah. I'm all over the place, but I like it. For now.

Howzabout you?

Gil Hamilton · Post by **Gil Hamilton** » 2003-11-01 01:21am

I'd want to be an expert, since there is no reason why I can't be good at another things as well, and chances are, since i'm such a hotshot, I am. Besides, experts make much more money.

Tsyroc · Post by **Tsyroc** » 2003-11-01 01:22am

So far my personal limitations have told me I'm a rather weak "Jack of All Trades" but if I really applied myself it'd probably work.

Unfortunately I don't think I'll ever be an expert at anything and that means I certainly couldn't do both.

I certainly wouldn't mind sleeping in the rest of my life.

BlkbrryTheGreat · Post by **BlkbrryTheGreat** » 2003-11-01 01:22am

How many jack of all trades are remembered in history for their accomplishments? None. Sorry, but if you really want to make any sort of signifigant, long lasting contrabution to soceity you have to specialize. If you want to be a jack of all trades just because you enjoy learning thats another matter. Don't delude yourself that becoming a "jack" is a big accomplishment though, its relativly easy to gain cursory knowledge of many areas.... mastery requires hard work.

Howedar · Post by **Howedar** » 2003-11-01 01:26am

It depends on how inept I'd be at other subjects, I might go either way. I want to be competent at everything, certainly, but I want to be good at something too.

Agent R · Post by **Agent R** » 2003-11-01 01:56am

Jack of all trades for me. I prefer being fairly useful in many areas over simply being asked to do a single thing because I'm so good at it. Besides, I don't really apply myself enough to gain any mastery.

TrailerParkJawa · Post by **TrailerParkJawa** » 2003-11-01 02:00am

Im like Tsyroc , Im a weak Jack of all Trades. Id like to be more of an expert in one field but I suppose Id be changing who I am in doing so. What I would really like is to no longer be so damn forgetfull. I spent 20 minutes this morning looking for my glasses which I had set on my dresser. What I didnt notice or remember was placing Aviation Week on top of my glasses thus hiding them from view.

Hethrir · Post by **Hethrir** » 2003-11-01 02:04am

I want to know a little about everything.

Post by **Darth Wong** » 2003-11-01 02:04am

"Greatest in the world" at something is better than "OK at lots of things".

Howedar · Post by **Howedar** » 2003-11-01 02:14am

Unless you're one of those math geniuses who can't tie their shoes.

BrYaN19kc · Post by **BrYaN19kc** » 2003-11-01 02:15am

I enjoy learning all sorts of new things, and try to learn as much as I can and bout different areas. Those who "think" they are an expert on one thing tend to be conceited and end up finding themselves outdated because they refuse to learn anything different or new.

Spanky The Dolphin · Post by **Spanky The Dolphin** » 2003-11-01 02:23am

In addition to immortality, another goal of mine is to know everything.

Cyborg Stan · Post by **Cyborg Stan** » 2003-11-01 02:40am

Being an expert in one thing seems to be more useful in a complex society like our own, since one can concentrate on doing a very useful and intricate undertaking without worrying about other fields.

Mentally, I seem to prefer the jack-of-all-trades approach which seems to be more fun. Ideally of course it would be an expert in anything, with the goal of knowing/making the connections to everything in the Universe.

I'm wondering if we can predict how one would answer this question according to the J/P dimension of MBTI/Kiersey typing. (Incidently, I probably have a pretty strong P factor.)

.....Checking up on the typings I have archived, it actually did fall into the expected perference for me (INTP, thinks Jack-of-All fun despite the usefulness of expert) and Darth Wong (ENTJ, obviously expert-perfering), although Tsyroc and TrailerParkJawa are either ambigious or fall opposite of expected. (Both ISTJ, according to my archives. Hmmmmm......) Spanky The Dolphin (ISTP) I would say would have the expected result, although I can't really say since exact spread of knowing everything isn't specified : Is he talking about knowing everything about one subject, then moving on to another times infinity, or rapidly shooting tons of assorted facts in the brain and connecting them together?

Crayz9000 · Post by **Crayz9000** » 2003-11-01 02:41am

I tend to focus heavily on the sciences, but I enjoy doing stuff on the side. I can cook, repair most anything that's mechanical, write, etc...

Shinova · Post by **Shinova** » 2003-11-01 02:42am

If I like it and want to do it, I can master it.

But barring that, I don't know. I'll have to give some deeper thought to it.

RedImperator · Post by **RedImperator** » 2003-11-01 02:44am

I'd gladly settle for being a lousy cook, a bad driver, a dancer with two left feet, and the singing voice of a dying hyena if I could be, say, the greatest writer ever in the history of the English language. Of course, I'm already three of those four things anyway.

jegs2 · Post by **jegs2** » 2003-11-01 03:34am

Alferd Packer wrote:Howzabout you?

An Army officer is a jack of all trades, master of none. NCOs and warrant officers are masters of their trades.

neoolong · Post by **neoolong** » 2003-11-01 04:29am

BlkbrryTheGreat wrote:How many jack of all trades are remembered in history for their accomplishments? None. Sorry, but if you really want to make any sort of signifigant, long lasting contrabution to soceity you have to specialize. If you want to be a jack of all trades just because you enjoy learning thats another matter. Don't delude yourself that becoming a "jack" is a big accomplishment though, its relativly easy to gain cursory knowledge of many areas.... mastery requires hard work.

Actually quite a few. Ben Franklin was a "jack of all trades." He invented, he wrote, he was a diplomat, etc. Back then a lot of people had many talents.

As for me, I'd be rather be an expert in something.

DPDarkPrimus · Post by **DPDarkPrimus** » 2003-11-01 04:43am

Da Vinci was a bona fide jack of all trades as well.

Post by **Gandalf** » 2003-11-01 05:25am

Spanky The Dolphin wrote:In addition to immortality, another goal of mine is to know everything.

Wouldn't that include the look of all naked people?

Spanky The Dolphin · Post by **Spanky The Dolphin** » 2003-11-01 05:31am

Factual knowledge, you doorknob...

Unlike most of my gender, I think with my brain more often than I do with my penis.

Post by **Gandalf** » 2003-11-01 05:40am

Spanky The Dolphin wrote:Factual knowledge, you doorknob...

Unlike most of my gender, I think with my brain more often than I do with my penis.

Forgive me, I'm 18, I'm a 6 foot tall hormone.

Sarevok · Post by **Sarevok** » 2003-11-01 06:50am

In today's society it is impossible to know everything. It is better to be an expert in one field.

salm · Post by **salm** » 2003-11-01 07:11am

BlkbrryTheGreat wrote:How many jack of all trades are remembered in history for their accomplishments? None.

Walter Gropius
Frank LLoyd Right
Sir Norman Foster
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe

and about any other architect who is remembered. being an architect means being a jack of all trades and aplying it to designing buildings.

Post by **Gandalf** » 2003-11-01 07:46am

salm wrote:
BlkbrryTheGreat wrote:How many jack of all trades are remembered in history for their accomplishments? None.
Walter Gropius
Frank LLoyd Right
Sir Norman Foster
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe

and about any other architect who is remembered. being an architect means being a jack of all trades and aplying it to designing buildings.

How many people know any of those people though, I've only heard of Flank Lloyd Wright because he was mentioned on The Simpsons.

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A matter of personal preference

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A matter of personal preference

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