Generalist Manifesto

 


Insulation, another task in the toolkit, though not terribly enjoyable

Every morning after breakfast, I grab my old Randy Moss notepad, open it to a blank page and scribble down a to-do list. Yes, I have an old flexible-binding notepad with my favorite NFL football player of all time on the cover because I will never grow up. Anyway, I write down a to-do list for the day. The other day, I think it was a Wednesday, I had a particularly notable to-do list. It included the following…

Meet Kyle at nine to pour 30x30 radiant slab

Tear out old windows and install new ones for Emily 

Clean woodstove chimney and install new spark arrestor

Install and wire a bathroom fan in upstairs bathroom

Design a new logo and sticker for my bluegrass band

Complete the architectural plans for Craig and Donna

Bake a cake for Sam’s surprise birthday

In the end, it took me two days to complete this task list, with the help of my buddy, David. But what struck me was the variety of tasks on the list. David and I were not experts in any of these tasks, but we tackled them with competence and a determination to do a good job. And we succeeded at all the tasks. Everything from pouring concrete to graphic design, chimney repair to baking; and it was all manageable.  

I take pride in being a generalist; someone who has a wide variety of experience in lots of different fields. I will never be the world’s leading expert in anything (except maybe Minnesota Vikings offensive play calling) but I know the basics of just about anything (except computer coding, that I have no idea about). This collection of disparate knowledge means that people like me and David never get bored. We learn a skill, put it in the toolbelt and pull it out on the off chance we need it again. We also gain confidence to try new things because we know we can work our way through it. This self-confidence seems to be the only reward for being a generalist. 

Our world values and rewards specialists. As many products and services get more complicated and filled with software, each field needs experts. To safely install such complicated systems, many services and townships require proper licensing and insurance. My expertise is generally centered in the building of buildings, but it is true in many other industries as well.  Rather than hire a general builder to build a house, most people hire a designer, engineer, excavator, foundation guy, framing crew, electrician, plumber, HVAC tech, drywaller, roofer, radon tech, landscaper, and gutter specialist, just to name a few. Or better yet, get a computer to do it all for you. That is the way many industries are trending. On my house, I built everything myself except the gutters, because the gutter guys happened to be in town that day.  

Of course this means that I am responsible if anything ever goes wrong and that is the crux of the matter. If I have a general knowledge, I should be able to do it safely the first time (if not perfectly). I also have the ability to fix it if needed. The responsibility rests with me. That is a risk many people are not willing or able to undertake. The systems of the world are designed for specialists; that is where the money is. That is who the insurance companies trust. Specialists are their go-to (and are paid accordingly). But, they become specialists by repeating the same task repeatedly which sounds incredibly boring to me. Maybe that is why they keep giving more tasks to computers. 

As a generalist, I will never be the best carpenter or concrete guy in the county. I will never be a licensed electrician or production chef or baker or go-to graphic designer. But I also will never be bored. I will never be stuck in one profession, doing the same thing over and over, biding my time until retirement. I will always have the confidence to try unknown projects, to open up the hood and look inside, to experiment with the recipes of life and see if I can find any new flavors. And I will never be replaced by a computer. 


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