Career Digest September 2009

CAREERDIGEST Volume 1 No.3

A Mistaken Jack The generalist’s perspective

September 2009

by: Clarisse Anne Ebue,

3rd yr. BS-AEC

Jack of all trades, master of none. This phrase, for years, has become a negative depiction of a person with no

Definition Box

mastery of any kind of skill but with little knowledge on different fields. Because of this, it has become insulting for many to be labeled as a ‘Jack-of-all-trades’. But is it really so bad to be such one? As mentioned in the Definition Box, the

Jack-of-all-trades \jak′əv ôl trādz′\ Function: Noun Origin: 1610 – 1620

idea of Jack-of-all-trades was originally considered as a positive comment but changed when the phrase ‘master of none’ was added. Now, it is referred to as generalists who become “gothrough” people who are called when immediate solutions are needed. They are believed to be inferior to the specialists who are the “go-to” people when certain expertise in knowledge and ability of a certain field are needed. It is also said that employers or more specifically, the human resource department would immediately notice and take interest in applicants who are experts rather than those who are not despite the number of skills. However, this does not conclude that being a Jack-of-alltrades is bad. As what has been said earlier, it wasn’t a negative depiction until the people changed it.

It refers to a person who is adept in many different kinds of work, which indicated versatility and is an expression of praise, as it is said an individual learns enough from many experiences of trade and skills. Why Jack? It simply refers to ‘man’ in 1600s which originated during the revolt of peasants in the Hundred Years’ War in France. The peasants were referred to as ‘Jacque’ by the nobles because of the padded surplice they wore called ‘Jacque’. It was then adopted by England in the form of ‘Jack’. The phrase ceased to be a term of admiration and flattery when “master of none” was added because of the changing demand in industries to form the idiom Jack of all trades, master of none. Today, this figure of speech refers to a generalist, or a person who has passable knowledge in many areas but does not specialize or is not fully competent in any particular one.

Timothy Ferriss, an author and public speaker, generated 5 reasons to be a Jack-of-all-trades:

by: Jamie Elody Choi, 3rd yr. AE - BMG

5. “Jack of all trades, master of none” is an artificial

4. In a world of dogmatic specialists, it’s the generalists who

pairing.

ends up running the show.

“It is entirely possible to be a Jack of all trades, master of

“Is the CEO a better accountant than the CPA? Is Steve Jobs a

many.” said Ferriss. He stated that the 80/20 principle proves

better programmer than the iTunes VP of Engineering? No, but

that people of Jack-of-all-trades does not have mediocre skills,

he has a broad range of skills and sees the unseen

saying that learning 20% of a language’s vocabulary will allow

interconnectedness.” Ferris said. He stated that “as technology

one to communicate and understand 80% and that 20% of the

becomes a commodity with the democratization of information,

moves done in sports contribute to about 80% of the scoring.

it’s the big picture generalists who will predict, innovate, and

With this, “is it settling for mediocre?” he asked.

rise to power fastest.”

Contents

I= Forte and Success….2 Lasallian Achiever……..5

Continue on page 4

Student Reps Speak..….6 Students’ Perspective…..6

Fun Page…………………..7 Something to Ponder On…8

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CAREERDIGEST Volume 1 No. 3

September 2009

I = Forte and Success Identifying your stengths

by: Marisse Mangunay, 3rd yr. AB - ISE To be admired and looked upon is

“unique” is unnecessary, think again.

something to be proud of. Oftentimes, we have

Let us take this particular scenario as an

considered someone as our “mentor,” thinking

example. Say you have sent your application to a

that by following this person’s footsteps, we too

very prestigious and prominent company, and all the

can achieve that sense of self-fulfillment and

applicants’ resumes are the same as yours.

accomplishment in our lives.

NOTHING special, NO uniqueness, NADA. If this

To have someone as an inspiration is

was the case, how would you expect to be hired

advisable, since we all need our own motivation

easily when you cannot show what it is that makes

as individuals. This attitude becomes a problem

you different from the rest? If, however, you state in

however, when we start comparing ourselves to

your resume that you have expertise in certain

what our so-called “role models” can do and

computer programs, you will surely create an

cannot do and in the process we forget about the

impression and will, in all likelihood, get that dream

“I”

job you have been looking for.

that

represents

our

uniqueness

and

individuality.

For every person there is an “I,” and that is

It is already a given that while some

what makes us unique and special. THAT is what

struggle in certain aspects of life, others do not.

makes up our strength as a person and as an

Yes, you could spend your entire lifetime

individual.

complaining about how imperfect you are. After

Continue on page 3

all, wouldn’t this be the easiest thing to do? Instead of brooding over what you can or cannot do, why not simply accept the fact that although there are those who are considered good at everything, YOU too can become great that as an individual, you have your own strength or forte that can actually make you stand out among the rest of the crowd. Some of you might say, “But I need not be special. I just want to fit in and be normal like any other person. I don’t need to be “different.” Ah-well, if you think that being “different” or ```````````````

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CAREERDIGEST Volume 1 No. 3

September 2009

“YOU

too

can

become great that as an individual, you have your own strength or

forte

that can actually make you stand out among the rest of the crowd. “

I =Forte and Success Continued from page 2 assignment. You work or read ahead before The next question that has to be answered

the next assignment is even made.

is “How do I know what my forte is?” To answer


You feel a strong sense of satisfaction

this, publisher Kathy Pauuw identifies certain

when using your talent. It feels good!

factors and characteristics that can help us figure Insightful isn’t it? The moral of the

out how we can know what we are good at.

story my friend, is that rather than brood and
You anticipate activities that utilize your

sulk about what others are good at, it is

talent. Take note when doing an activity.

Are

important for you to realize that you have

you thinking present tense -- When will this be

your own potential. Identifying your own

over? ... or future tense -- When do I get to do

strength is the first step to success; honing it

this again?

is the second; and applying it is the third.


Talent brings with it consistent & predictable

Note that although it is important for

near-perfect results.

you to have your own forte, this does not


Talent generates yearnings - spontaneous

mean that you should forget about flexibility.

reactions from within, and a drive to repeat the

Although you have mastered one particular

behavior or feeling.

skill already, never subject yourself to


When talent is present, rapid learning takes

narrowed-mindedness and forget about other

place. While using your talent, you learn at a

skills you might be able to hone. Do not

much more rapid speed than others around

forget my friend, “the bamboo that bends is

you. You can't wait to take on the next

stronger than oak that resists.”

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A Mistaken Jack September 2009

Continued from page 1 3. Boredom is failure. According to Ferris, we are driven to need and demand more of any kind of measure of comparative success which can be seen in Mazlow’s hierarchy of needs. “Lack of intellectual stimulation, not superlative material wealth, is what drives us to depression and emotional bankruptcy.” He said. Over-specialization will guarantee this but generalizing and experimenting will prevent this as a certain success or

CAREERDIGEST Volume 1 No. 3

fulfillment will continually be satisfied. 2. Diversity of intellectual playgrounds breeds confidence instead of fear of the unknown. Ferris said that specialists’ identities are defined by the job title or skill they have which they do, in the long-run, out of obligation and not enjoyment. Also, diversity in skills eliminates the possibility of “fearing the unknown” because of lack or no knowledge in certain areas. 1. It’s more fun, in the most serious existential sense. The Jack-of-all-trades, according to Ferris, “maximizes his number of peak experiences in life and learns to enjoy the pursuit of excellence unrelated to material gain.” With this, he is also able to find few things which he is suited to dominate. Seeing these arguments, we can see that being a generalist is not bad. In fact, it has a lot of advantages. However, this does not eliminate the fact that having a specialization is what will make you stand out. Remember, everything has good and bad sides in them, you decide on what you want. BUT, who says you should limit yourself to just choosing between the two? No one is stopping you from going beyond the normality of our beliefs. “Jack of all trades, master of one”, “Expert of all trades”, and “Jack of all trades, master of many”, you can be both! reference: http://ee.cleversoul.com/articles/JackOfAllTradesOrSpecialist.html http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2007/09/14/the-top-5-reasons-to-be-a-jack-of-all-trades/ http://www.romow.com/health-blog/problem-with-being-a-jack-of-all-trade/

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LA SALLIAN ACHIEVER September 2009

by: Clarisse Anne Ebue, 3rd yr. BS - AEC up with a decision; however, I considered only my opinion and did not see the importance of a group decision. My organizational skill was not working. Thus, I have to be flexible and considerate with people’s actions and behaviors. The biggest asset of the company is the people (work force) who work for me. Therefore, as much as possible, I always listen and observe the needs of the staffs and create a working

CAREERDIGEST Volume 1 No. 3

environment where they can excel and in the end contribute to the company.”

NAME:

Kohei Higashi

COURSE:

Legal Management

OCCUPATION: COMPANY:

Vice President and General Manager

HSK East Corporation

What do you consider as your best skill/talent?

What other talents do you wish you could have if given the chance? “What I wish to gain is multi-tasking skill. Managing a company requires so many things (problem

“My best skill would be organizing people, things and

most of the time…) on your head. So, there are times

schedule. I really cannot stand when things are not in order. In

when as an individual person, limit is an issue.

fact, my desk is the cleanest desk in the office. Japanese in blood,

However, I judge my ‘’limit’’ too quickly. If I were to

I dislike being late and I truly believe when you are on time or

have more multi-tasking skills, I may not think ‘’limit’’

rather early, nothing bad will happen. Organizing people is

now as ‘’my limit’’ anymore.”

really something that requires in my field and I know it is not easy, but it is a skill that I always try to own.”

What do you prefer: a. Have multiple talents but never be the best? b. Have only one talent but is the

Have you always had that skill/talent or did you just acquire it over time?

best in that field? “I prefer multiple talents but never be the best. I

“I think the skills I mentioned were in me from the

have explained above that when only one talent is used,

beginning. A lot of people including my friends get so irritated at

he or she might overlook important things. The best

me because I could be a bit too organize and expect the others to

way is to use many talents at the same time.”

do the same especially being punctual” .

What advice can you give to the La Sallian

As VP and General Manager of HSK, what specific skill does

community on honing their skills/talents?

it require you to have? “The skills needed are organizational skills and leadership skills. However, one thing I learned through my bitter

“Skills may at times be hindrance. However, the important thing is to use your skills wisely and never over use them!”

experiences in the past is that you should mix the skills well and use it at the same time. In order to shine my leadership skill, I forgot to consider my staffs’ opinions and that ended with misunderstandings. We were all in the same direction to come …

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CAREERDIGEST Volume 1 No. 3

September 2009

STUDENT REPS SPEAK The first time I’ve encountered the term “jack of all trades”, or as I call it, a “generalist”, was when I was still in elementary school. Back then, it used to ring nicely in my ear. Being a well-rounded “smarty” in those days, I feel like whenever those words are used, it directly refers to me, and that it’s a complete complement. Now, whenever we talk about being a generalist, I can only think of somebody with mediocre level of knowledge in a lot of stuff. It’s not so much of a good thing anymore as it used to be before. My dad is a Geologist by profession. During his college years, he said that he took up Geology at the University of the Philippines but there came a time around the 1990’s and early 2000 that there were a lot of lay-offs in the Philippines’ mining industry. He was one of the first who got laid off though he was a Senior Geologist and despite F.I.L.O. Today, my dad got up from where he was by becoming a geological consultant. Not only that – he also extended his consultancy service to other related services that weren’t actually his specialization. This includes

hydrology, environmental management, and other related fields. It was an act of “stepping out of the comfort zone” as he didn’t allow himself to be constricted by his “specialized” knowledge. He innovated and therefore met the current needs of his clients by submitting to more knowledge aside from his specialty. Being too tied-up in our specialization can be very dangerous especially in a very volatile economic situation. The ones with specializations are the first ones laid off whenever the economy is down since, most often than not, they can be outsourced. Also, some specializations can be seasonal which means that demand for those certain skills can drop depending on time. Maybe our thoughts while we were still kids are the purest. Right now, I think I was actually right to think that being a “jack of all trades” is a good thing. So, it’s up to you to choose on what you want. A specialist? Or a generalist?

Matthew Sendon, 2nd yr. BS - INSYS

Students’ Students’ Perspective by: Jamie Choi, 3rd yr. AE - BMG

Name: Paulo Cobankiat

General vs. Specialized Knowledge: Year: V Is it better to (a) be averagely good in a lot of things or Course: PSM-ACM (b) be best in one aspect/ skill and average on others?

Name: Jimmie Neil Kang Year: III Course: BS- CHE In my opinion it is better if people are well rounded, but a person should have at least a mastery of one skill. It is because you won't excel when you don't have a specialty. If you’re a jack of all trades and a master of none, you just know shallow knowledge about a particular subject. I am not saying that being a jack of all trade is bad, but it is really a requirement for you to be a master of a particular skill. Name: Denise Que Year: III Course:BS- CS-ST “In my opinion, it is better to have specialized knowledge than general knowledge because an individual would have something to be professional in. As the common saying, “Nobody’s perfect”, although an individual may have general knowledge of almost everything, he is still inadequate to master in one aspect of life. Both sides have pros and cons but yet, there would be no sense if one person would settle only on being average in almost everything, and not strive to be better or even best, in one aspect, and maybe just settle being average on other skills.”

“Personally, I would love to be able to pursue excellence in those skills which are most important to me. While I’d love to be average in a lot of things, I also believe that life is all about finding fulfilment. I’d love to try most things once, but I’d also like to spend most of my time learning about those things which I love and are most important to me. After all, I won’t have the time to explore a multitude of careers. In ACM, I have three OJTs. I already know that I want to pursue a career in HR; but I made sure that I would have OJTs in Marketing, Finance and Operations as well so I could gain some firsthand experience and knowledge about those as well.”

Name: Marian H. Santiago Year: II Course: BSE-CAP “I think it’s better to be best in one aspect or skill and average on others. I think it’s good to have your own specialty, rather than just being average in a lot of things. By being best at a particular aspect, you can contribute greater than when you’re just averagely good at that aspect. Also, by working together with other people who are best at other skills or aspects, you can create a team that would be able to do things at an excellent level”.

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CAREERDIGEST Volume 1 No. 3

September 2009

Just for Fun! Take this quiz to know your personal strengths and weaknesses as how your view training and development

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

A satisfying career is one where the person feels that they are doing the right things or are cast in the right part. How many employees feel they are miscast? a. 2 out of 10 b. 4 out of 10 c. 8 out of 10 Should the developmental plans established with one’s manager: a. Focus on correcting weaknesses? b. Focus on building upon strengths? c. Focus on complementing the strategic direction of their work unit? How should managers or organizations view personal development? a. Learning that is based on developing weaknesses is at best damage control b. A good training program can benefit everyone c. With enough practice everything is learnable Do you think most potential employers and interviewers are more interested in a. Your education and credentials b. Your unique talent or strengths c. Past experiences At work how often do employees have the opportunity to do what they do best every day? a. 10% of the time b. 20% of the time c. Most of the time What is the best source for defining your strengths: a. Career or personality tests

7.

8.

9.

10.

b. Feedback from a Guidance or Career Counselor c. Personal achievement, things you learned rapidly and enjoy doing Which best represents organizations beliefs on excellent performers? a. They must be well rounded with multiple skills, abilities, and experiences. b. They must be sharp, with their natural strengths well honed and developed. c. Challenging assignments allows the cream or best performers to rise to the top. If you were to describe your strengths do you a. Describe situations, actions and results you have produced to illustrate your strengths. b. Relate your education and work experience c. Find it hard to describe your strengths What contributes to defining personal unique strengths so difficult? a. There is no systematic approach to considering all the information we should b. We overestimate our strengths c. We assume that everyone can do what we do well 10. How many unique strengths does individuals possess? a. 4-6 b. One, if it is truly unique c. Some people are generalists and have many experiences but no pronounced strengths

Continue to the next page for scoring and interpretation

Reference: http://www.coachingandmentoring.com/Quiz/StrengthsWeakness.html

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CAREERDIGEST Volume 1 No. 3

September 2009

Just for Fun continued Scoring: Question 1 A=0, B=0, C=10 Question 2 A=0, B=10, C=0 Question 3 A=10, B=0, C=0 Question 4 A=0, B=10, C=0 Question 5 A=0, B=10, C=0 Question 6 A=0, B=0, C=10 Question 7 A=0, B=10, C=0 Question 8 A=10, B=0, C=0 Question 9 A=0, B=0, C=10 Question 10 A=10, B=0, C=0

Results: 80 – 100 You know the importance of strengths in a workplace and how to identify your own skills. This state of knowing is the first step wherein you must put it into practice in managing your career and own personal development 50 – 70 You have mixed views on the importance of strengths and weaknesses and its role in your personal development and career satisfaction. You should develop your strengths to the point where any kind of weaknesses is irrelevant. Below 50 Your career may likely be very frustrating for you tend to focus on your weaknesses and haven’t taken time to identify what makes you unique – your strengths. You should take time to identify and reflect on your skills to avoid that frustration that awaits you.

Something to ponder on… on… by: Marisse Mangunay, 3rd yr. AB - ISE

Lasallians, do not subject yourselves to conformity. Instead, challenge yourself, be brave, be ADAPTABLE.

Acquire a skill Develop your strength Ask questions you do not know Prepare for the unexpected Trust yourself Aim for improvement Be open minded Learn from your mistakes Execute what you have learned

CAREER DIGEST STAFF CLARISSE ANNE EBUE Editor-in-chief

MARISSE MANGUNAY Head Writer

MATTHEW SENDON Contributing Writer

JAMIE ELODY CHOI Layout and Design Editor

Career Digest is the official OCCS-Career Services Newsletter under its new Career Management Program. For comments and suggestions, please feel free to visit us at St. Joseph Hall room 115, or email us at [email protected]

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