The old advice was simple: pick a lane and stay in it. We were told to specialize, find a niche, and become the undisputed master of one single thing. But honestly? That world is dead. If you look at the most successful people in the current economy—people like Sahil Bloom or even historical figures like Leonardo da Vinci—the pattern isn't singular focus. It’s "range."
When you may choose more than one option in your professional development, you aren't being "distracted." You're actually building a moat around your career. Think about it. If you are just a "marketer," you are a commodity. There are millions of you. But if you are a marketer who also understands Python and has a deep background in behavioral psychology? Now you're a unicorn. You’ve created a category of one.
The Myth of the "One True Path"
We've been lied to about the "specialist" advantage.
Malcolm Gladwell’s 10,000-hour rule made us think that grinding at one specific skill is the only way to win. But David Epstein, author of the book Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World, argues the opposite. He found that early specialization is actually an exception, not the rule, among top performers. Most elites go through a "sampling period." They try everything. They fail at most of it. Then they combine the lessons from those failures into a unique superpower.
Choosing more than one path isn't a lack of discipline. It’s a strategy for resilience. In 2026, the job market is volatile. AI is eating single-skill roles for breakfast. If your entire identity is tied to one specific software or one specific methodology, you’re vulnerable. When you may choose more than one option, you diversify your risk. It’s basically the same logic as a stock portfolio. You wouldn’t put your entire life savings into one volatile stock, so why would you do that with your skillset?
How Skill Stacking Actually Works
Let’s talk about Scott Adams, the creator of Dilbert. He’s the first to admit he’s not the best artist in the world. He’s also not the funniest person or the best businessman. But he is pretty good at all three. By combining "pretty good" art with "pretty good" humor and "pretty good" business knowledge, he created a massive empire.
This is the core of why you may choose more than one option. You don't need to be the top 1% in a single field. That’s too hard. It takes a lifetime and a lot of luck. Instead, aim to be in the top 20% of three or four different, unrelated fields. The intersection of those fields is where the magic happens.
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The Chemistry of Overlapping Skills
Take a look at how these combinations play out in the real world:
- A nurse who understands data science can design better hospital workflows.
- A graphic designer who understands sales copy can charge 10x more than a "pretty picture" maker.
- A plumber who masters digital marketing will own every competitor in their zip code.
It’s about the "and." Not "or."
The Fear of Being a "Jack of All Trades"
The full quote is actually: "A jack of all trades is a master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one." We usually cut off that last part. That’s a mistake.
Being a generalist allows you to see patterns that specialists miss. Specialists often have "Maslow’s Hammer" syndrome: when all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail. If you only know SEO, every business problem looks like an SEO problem. But if you may choose more than one option, you might realize the problem is actually a product-market fit issue or a technical debt issue.
I’ve seen this happen in tech companies constantly. The best CTOs aren't usually the best coders in the room. They are the people who understand the code and the business's bottom line and how to manage human egos. They chose more than one option. They leaned into the complexity of being multi-faceted.
Avoiding the "Dilettante Trap"
There is a catch. You can't just be "bad" at five things.
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The strategy of you may choose more than one option requires what I call "Sequential Deep Dives." You don't try to learn five things at once. That leads to burnout and mediocrity. Instead, you go deep on one thing for six months. You get to a level of functional competence. Then, you move to the next thing while maintaining the first.
It’s like spinning plates. You get one spinning fast, then you start the next. Eventually, you have a whole row of spinning plates. If you try to start them all at once, they all just fall and break on the floor.
Practical Steps to Build Your "Option" Stack
- Audit your current primary skill. What is the thing people pay you for right now?
- Identify an "Adjacent Skill." If you're a writer, maybe it’s SEO or basic HTML. If you're a chef, maybe it’s food photography.
- Identify an "Opposite Skill." This is something totally different that changes how you think. If you are very analytical, try a creative pursuit like improv or painting. If you are very creative, take a basic finance course.
- The 80/20 Rule. Spend 80% of your time on your "money maker" and 20% on your "option" skills.
The Psychological Advantage of Choice
Honestly, having more than one option is just better for your mental health.
When your entire self-worth is tied to a single career path, a layoff or a market shift isn't just a financial setback—it’s an identity crisis. I’ve talked to people who spent 20 years in one industry and felt like their lives were over when that industry changed. But the people who had side projects, "weird" hobbies, and diverse skillsets? They just pivoted. They viewed it as an opportunity to finally lean into their "other" options.
In a world that’s getting weirder and faster, the "polymath" is the one who survives. We are moving back to a Renaissance-style model of work where being a "well-rounded" person is actually a competitive advantage.
Actionable Next Steps
Stop worrying about "finding your passion." Passion is usually something that develops after you get good at something, not before.
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Instead of looking for one perfect path, look for a "stack." Start by listing the three skills you have that, when combined, make you unique. If you only have one or two, your next step is clear: go find that third one. It doesn't have to be a degree. It doesn't even have to be a certification. It just has to be something you can do well enough to provide value.
Start a "Learning Sprint." Dedicate the next 30 days to a skill that is completely outside your comfort zone. If it sticks, add it to your stack. If it doesn't, you've still gained a new perspective that will inform your primary work. The goal isn't perfection; it's utility.
Build a career that looks like a web, not a ladder. Lances break. Webs catch things.
Summary of Key Insights:
- Specialization is a high-risk strategy in a volatile economy.
- Skill stacking (combining 2-3 "pretty good" skills) creates more value than one "elite" skill.
- Use "Sequential Deep Dives" to learn new things without getting overwhelmed.
- Diversifying your skills provides both financial resilience and psychological stability.
The most successful people in the next decade won't be the ones who followed the rules and picked one lane. They will be the ones who realized that you may choose more than one option and built a life that reflects that freedom.