Range

By  Engr. Carlos V. Cornejo

It seems that shifting to a new job with a different skill requirement late in our careers is not too bad at all.  This book, “Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World” by David Epstein tells us that not only is it fine, but you can even excel at it more than those who specialized early.

Look at this situation for example.  What do two‐time NBA MVP Steve Nash, six‐time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady, and 20‐time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer have in common?

Other than being among the greatest to ever play their sport, they were all ‘late specializers.’

Nash grew up playing soccer and did not start playing basketball until he was 13. Tom Brady spent much of his childhood playing baseball; he was drafted into professional baseball before football. Roger Federer sampled a wide array of sports before focusing on tennis in his early teens.  Late specialization is the norm among elite athletes. Late specialization is also the norm among people who have lucrative, fulfilling, and impactful careers.

Most of us think we know ourselves well. We know what we’re good at, we know what we’re interested in, so we think we know what we’ll be good at five, ten, twenty years from now but the science says otherwise. David Epstein says, “It’s clear from the science that our work preferences and our life preferences do not stay the same because we do not stay the same.”

Just think back to the career you were sure you wanted ten years ago – does it align with who you are now? Or does it seem ridiculous knowing what you know about yourself now? Think about all the people who realized halfway through medical school that it wasn’t a good fit…

In my case I thought I would be practicing electronics engineering for the rest of my career life after college graduation.  I was able to practice it though only for around 10 years, teaching math and telecommunications engineering subjects.  Later on, I shifted to teaching business subjects after I acquired my MBA, concluding that business is more practical than engineering because it is closer to real life events, since we are all tied up to business in one way or another as a customer or as a businessperson.

The key is not marrying yourself to one career path too early, and instead, date several possibilities to see what work you have a deep connection with. Start your career on a six‐lane highway, not on a one‐way street ‐ hop between the lanes by taking different roles that interest you. As you pursue a range of experiences, develop a range of skills, and face a variety of new problems, remember: It’s going to feel inefficient and messy, but that’s a great sign; effective learning is never smooth or easy.

When you have doubts, and you feel like you’re falling behind your peers, fear not. Epstein says, “One study showed that early career specializers jumped out to an earnings lead after college, but that later specializers made up for the head start by finding work that better fit their skills and personalities.”

Take your time and accumulate a range of experiences and skills, but when you feel like you’ve sampled enough and you know yourself well enough, go deep on an interest and get really good.

Roger Federer may have changed sports when he was young, but eventually, he decided to master the game of tennis. Tom Brady didn’t change sports after determining football was the sport for him; Brady committed to be the best quarterback he could.  Breadth (more choices) before depth (focus on one choice) helped Federer and Brady rise to the top. It helped the majority of people in a study who found fulfilling careers, and it’ll help you and I do the same.  “We learn who we are in practice, not in theory.” (David Epstein)