Are you a Generalist or a Specialist

by joelbear 32 Replies latest jw friends

  • joelbear
    joelbear

    I am definitely a generalist, I have a bit of interest in 1000 things. This is one of the reasons I have always been so unhappy, because I have attempted to force myself to be a specialist. It just doesn't work. Specialists do great, they make lots of money and become famous for being the best at what they do. Wow, congratulations to them for their dedication, but for me it would be pure hell.

    i like smorgasbords

    i like variety tv

    i like diversity

  • kid-A
    kid-A

    I am a specialist. And yes, it is hell. There are many other things I would like to be doing, but simply cant afford the time.

  • Leolaia
    Leolaia

    I am a rotating specialist.

    My interests can be extremely focused and usually are, but I switch from one interest to another and immerse myself fully in the new interest. Bible stuff has been my interest especially since 2003 (before that, a bit in 1998, and before that a lot in 1988-1991). The day will certainly come when Bible stuff becomes stale and "old hat" and I'll move on to my next big interest.

    I have so many narrowly focused interests, and a bunch of them have been neglected in recent years.

  • jaffacake
    jaffacake

    I am a generalist, but like Leolai I tend to get my teeth into something for a year or two, then move on to something else. I tend to be a jack of all trades but a master of none of them.

  • Lady Lee
    Lady Lee

    I have thought about this question many times over the last few years.

    I definitely have one interest that has been with me my whole life - helping victims and survivors of abuse.

    But I always have other interests that are far ranging.

    I've often heard the belief that people are either thinkers or doers. And that the thinkers have a poor ability to do physical things.

    I find though that I often surprise myself at the things I can do - refinish furniture, build a porch, crafts, build computers.

    If I consider myself as a thinker (which would be my main interest) than I should be rather inefficient doer (all those other things that I do)

    So I think that I have come to the conclusion that my ability to have so many different interests helps me not to burn out of my main interest

  • jgnat
    jgnat

    I am a generalist. I am very good at seeing the big picture while still able to drill down to sufficient detail to suggest a fix.

    The world needs us, too.

  • Narkissos
    Narkissos

    Neither I guess.

    While I may be interested in a lot of different fields my interest never really coincides with any of them and remains about the same from one field to another... Logically enough I like the borders between disciplines (wherever religion and philosophy and/or literature and/or art and/or psychology etc. meet each other)

  • OldSoul
    OldSoul

    Wow, Leolaia! What it would be like to be the guy that strikes your fancy!

    I switch from one interest to another and immerse myself fully in the new interest.

    Hm. Wow!

    OldSoul (not dead yet (but happily married))

  • Carmel
    Carmel

    Always the generalist. Always getting elected to boards, commissions and committees, then they want me to chair. I prefer to be considered an equal and share the workload, but with a varied background both educationally and professionally, I just seem to gravitate to being tapped..

    Oh well, enjoy what live floats down the river at you. Fish don't frown!

    carmel

  • Tigerman
    Tigerman

    Yeah . . .what Old Soul said.

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