Why Being a Generalist Is the Ultimate Power Move in the Age of AI, Uncertainty, and Reinvention

The Case for the Generalist

Years ago, I had created a username called wannabepolymath. I wasn’t sure which single thing interested me most because I wanted to learn many different things. As I read more, I felt a growing urge to explore new fields, seeking expertise — or at least a functional knowledge — in a lot of areas.

I wanted to be a detective solving murder mysteries when I read Agatha Christie, I wanted to be a stand-up comedian because I saw humor engages humans instantly, and a Nobel Prize winner for literature. The list goes on.

This mindset cemented itself when I encountered this quote from Robert Heinlein’s Time Enough for Love:

A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects.

Heinlein emphasizes that humans should be generalists capable of a vast range of skills — from technical tasks to creative endeavors — rather than restricting themselves to a narrow, specialized role. While having varying degrees of expertise is fine, I often ask myself, Why can’t I do it all?

The Philosophy of Living Dangerously

In Nietzsche’s Untimely Meditations from 1873, he uses a Latin phrase to define a noble life purpose. He urges that we must live dangerously, striving for the “great and the impossible” rather than seeking comfort in the mundane.

The phrase Animae magnae prodigus means “a generous man with a great spirit.” It refers to his wish for us to spend our lives recklessly in pursuit of high, noble, and seemingly impossible goals, favoring profound risk over mere self-preservation or “petty egoism.”

It is a call to action against mediocrity and conformity, encouraging us to be creators of value who spend their lives rather than just preserving them. You’ll often see this attributed to him as one of these quotes. “I know of no better life purpose than to perish attempting the great and impossible.”

The Value of Failure

The Museum of Personal Failure in Vancouver is an exhibition showcasing objects that represent setbacks. Curated by Eyvan Collins, it features failed art projects, broken items, and rejection letters, reframing them as vital parts of the human experience. The goal is to encourage vulnerability and catharsis, allowing visitors to find humor in their own and others’ setbacks.

It serves as a space to process emotions like grief and shame, moving toward the realization that failure is a valuable part of growth. Items on display are often intimate, featuring failed, unsharpenable knives, failed relationships artifacts, and abandoned projects.

Though, I personally worry we might fall into the “monetize failure” trend — the way celebrities sometimes showcase trauma or upheavals for clout. Ugh, but topic for another day.

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Reframing Mortality

Recently, a friend shared some insights from the book I See You Called in Dead. The urgency with which our mortality is explored is a call for us to reconsider all the things that we want to do in life and not wait to get started on our dream projects.

The book is written from the perspective of an obituary writer who has seen hundreds of lives summarized into mere paragraphs. Through irony and strange historical truths, the narrator shifts from morbid curiosity to a deeper reflection: death was never the point, our life is.

The core message is that writing your own obituary while still alive isn’t morbid, it clarifying. It forces you to confront what truly matters and how intentionally you are living. It is a meditation on mortality as a tool for awakening — not driven by fear, but by purpose. It’s not about dying; it’s about living better, right now.

The ‘M-Shaped’ Future

A friend recently sent me a video about the “M-Shaped” future, saying it reminded him of me. I felt honored and validated. The video argues that by trying different things, we are essentially stacking our skills. Our true value doesn’t lie in being the absolute best at one thing, but in the rare intersection of three or four different disciplines.

It urges us to pursue “deep generalism.” Don’t just skim the surface; aim for enough mastery in a new field that you can transfer its logic to your other skills. The future belongs to generalists who can navigate “wicked” environments by connecting dots that specialists can’t even see.

Call to Action

Whatever you want to pursue, start small. Through the power of the compound effect, you can build a solid portfolio of diverse skill sets in the work streams of your choice in just a few years.

So, what are you going to be unapologetically curious about starting today?

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