I realized that the people I admire were generally, into lots of different things, even while specializing in a particular area.
- Elon Musk — Good with tech. but also marketing, space, etc. He’s running four multibillion companies by his mid-40s — in four separate fields. His expertise ranges from rocket science, engineering, construction, tunneling, physics, and artificial intelligence to solar power and energy.
- Leonardo Da Vinci — One of the greatest painters of all time, with works such as ‘The Last Supper’ and ‘Mona Lisa’. Also an inventor, imagining flying machines, helicopters, armoured fighting vehicles, scuba diving suits and solar power many centuries ahead of their time. He even dissected a human body and discovered that a blood clot was the cause of death. He studied engineering, sculpting, painting, architecture, science, music, literature, anatomy, geology, astronomy, botany, writing, mathematics, history and cartography.
- Benjamin Franklin — Active as a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher, and political philosopher.
- Henry David Thoreau — People remember him for his writings on nature (Walden) and politics (Civil Disobedience), but the he was well into history, biology, poetry, botany, travel, land surveying, and more.
Those are just a few of the famous examples. There are plenty more. In fact, most notable people are polymaths in some ways.
I don’t know about you, but I’ve never been content just having one interest. I’ve always dabbled in lots of things.
Over the years, these things have ranged from coding to venture capital to digital marketing to web3 to biotech to personal finance (to name just a few).
I’ve been a Jack Of All Trades almost all my life, and while there’s definitely merits to being a Jack of All Trades, I’ve came to realisation that there’s actually this 1 thing that’s better than both being full generalist or specialist, It’s called being a T-shaped generalist, and I think it’s one of the most powerful concepts for anyone who wants to build a diverse skill set while still having a valuable specialization.
What is a T-Shaped Generalist?
A T-shaped generalist is capable in many things and expert in, at least, one.
As opposed to an expert in one thing (I-shaped) or a “jack of all trades, master of none”, a “t-shaped generalist” is an expert in at least one thing but also somewhat capable in many other things.
The exact details will vary from person to person. Indeed, if you’re just starting out, you may find that your knowledge/skillset looks more like an “I” (a specialist with no general knowledge), or maybe a “dash” with diverse general knowledge but no specialization.
If either of the above is the case, no worries. Try Musk’s “semantic tree” concept.
Musk’s “semantic tree” concept
The “semantic tree” concept is all about deconstructing knowledge into basic principles so that you can build your learning on a solid foundation. Musk has read widely since adolescence to satisfy his thirst for knowledge, and establishing a varied and methodical reading habit is a useful learning technique for any aspiring generalist.
Here’s a simple four-step process to approaching a new subject:
- Identify your subject. To gain a reliable understanding of the principles, look for some beginning classes or foundational materials such as undergraduate textbooks or respected journal articles.
- Take notes. To ensure that you comprehend what you’ve read, summarise significant facts and concepts in your own words. Reread your notes until you understand them.
- Broaden your scope. Once you’ve got the fundamentals from one text, seek out additional resources by checking the references and citations of your original source.
- Test yourself. If the information you have been learning is practical, try it out in real life. If it’s theoretical, try to explain it in simple terms to a friend or colleague to check your understanding.
It may be both personally and professionally gratifying to broaden your knowledge in diverse subjects. After all, you could discover that being a jack-of-all-trades is something you prefer.
What does becoming a T-shaped person look like on a daily basis?
One base area that I think everyone should have is that of being “well-read”. This builds the habit of intellectual curiosity and challenging your ideas. Read whatever interests you, but read across a range of areas.
Now that we have those ideas out there, let’s get into the practical specifics. I’ve found that the following are key to success:
1. Make it a habit.
Habits make up a huge portion of your life (40% of your daily actions, according to Duke University researchers). So when you take control of your habits, you gain immense power.
You need to make developing your T-shaped self a habit. I do this by taking each area that I want to improve/maintain and adding it to my daily to-do list. I make sure to check it off each day, and I use Todoist to make sure I do the ones that I would otherwise slack on (currently I’m learning Mental Models and building SOPs for my business.
2. Work on projects.
10 hours of real project trumps 100 hours in the lecture hall. Get out of tutorial land (aka tutorial hell), start building and doing.
3. Learn with the Feynmann technique
- If you want to test a particular knowledge area, read a recent paper from the field and rate your understanding of it from 1–5.
- Take a piece of paper and write everything you know about the topic. You’ll quickly find the gaps in your knowledge.
- Teach your skill to someone else. Similar to the Feynman technique (but with more immediate feedback), this will expose areas that you don’t really understand.
- If they don’t understand, simplify it. Do the mom test.
Just make sure you test yourself periodically and tailor your practice accordingly, otherwise you’ll just be spinning your wheels.
4. Focus on the niche you want to specialise in
You must pay close attention to your development in the field in which you wish to become an expert. Learn about the Dreyfus Model (see image below) and see where you fit on the Novice to Expert scale. Also, once you’ve gone over the beginning learning materials, look for a mentor who can assist you.
5. Deconstruct your goals.
Something like “learn to code” is a huge, vague goal. So huge that it can feel impossible; so vague that it will be impossible if you don’t make it more concrete. To overcome the overwhelm, break the skill down. For example, you might decide to focus on just HTML or on programming fundamentals.
You’ll be well on your way to becoming a T-shaped person if you follow the steps above.
Don’t let this structure stifle your creativity. While being a T-shaped person will put you miles ahead of the majority of pupils, you don’t have to stop there. By all means, become a polymath. Just make sure you don’t fall into the generalist trap and go deep in one subject before pursuing similar depth in another.
Extras
Regardless if you choose to specialise or generalise, here are some skills I feel you should have, that will exponentially improve you holistacally as a person:
Logic and Reasoning
Here’s the foundation. I think it’s essential to ensure the ideas in your head actually make sense before you let them come out of your mouth.
Logical thinking abilities are vital because they assist you in making key decisions, solving difficulties, coming up with new ideas, and setting goals — all of which are necessary for your professional advancement. Whether you are new to the job or wish to develop your career, you will face obstacles that need logical thinking abilities on a regular basis. The more logical thinking abilities you have, the easier it will be for you to come up with answers and plans that will benefit you and your company.
The human mind is dangerously vulnerable to logical fallacies, destructive heuristics and biases, and other mental bugs if it is not properly taught (example: the Halo Effect). My objective would be to teach students how to spot faulty thinking patterns and how to think properly instead.
Resources for learning Logic and Reasoning
- Introduction to Logic — Standford course, free on Coursera.
- Thinking, Fast and Slow — a wonderful book by Daniel Kahneman, who is one of the foremost researchers in the field of heuristics and biases.
Public speaking
Speaking in public is said to be the world’s greatest fear. It is said to be even more terrifying than death.
I’ve came in contact with hundreds of recruiters and tech leaders, and they consistently say that what they want most out of new grads are communication skills.
“Of all the things employers look for when hiring entry-level talent, it’s the so-called ‘soft skills’ that are valued most: communication, teamwork, flexibility and positive attitude are by far the most sought-after skills. Employers understand that everything else can be taught, so they look for the most promising raw material to work with.”
Jennifer Floren, the Founder and CEO of Experience, Inc.
Taking a speech class will help you immensely in this area. A few benefits:
- You’ll learn how to utilise the three basic components of persuasion — ethos, pathos, and logos — to persuade others.
- You’ll receive practise putting together effective presentations.
- You’ll develop self-confidence.
You’ll almost certainly be asked to deliver a presentation at some time throughout your career. It’s far better to get all of your anxious stumbling out of the way now, when you’re in a room full of other frightened stumbling students.
Aside from improving your public speaking skills, attending a speech class will also assist you with one-on-one talks. My ability to keep a conversation going between myself and a new person has increased considerably since I started taking speech training.
Resources for learning Speech
- Introduction to Public Speaking — University of Washington course, free at Coursera
- Toastmasters — the largest group for people who want to improve their public speaking skills
Focus on english
No, that doesn’t mean you need a posh British accent. Just make sure you’re able to read, write and speak fluently with clarity.
English language plays an essential role in our lives as it helps in communication. It is the main language for studying any subject all over the world. English is important for students as it broadens their minds, develops emotional skills, improve the quality of life by providing job opportunities.
Most of the world learning materials, forums and channels are in English. Understanding English unlocks the ability to learn literally anything, online.
This is the world we live in, as Phil Collins says, so you’d better learn to write well in it.
Resources for learning English Composition
- First and foremost, start reading a lot and writing a lot. Practice makes better. (not perfect) Start your own blog!
- If you’re looking for a sentence structure/grammar guide, this one should do justice.
- Just do it.
Thanks for staying till the end!
I bet there’s a lot more, but the above should be plenty to get started on your journey to become a holistic t-shaped generalist!
Till next time!
Connect with me
Email: deric.yee@gmail.com
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dericyeejiyong/
Website: dericyee.com
