Stop putting yourself into a box.  

I know what you’re saying: But how do I avoid falling into a box as I grow and learn? How do I make sure I stay multifaceted?  

For starters, you need to understand why being multifaceted is worth it.

Taking Yourself out of the Box  

Your entire life people ask you one big question: “What do you want to do?”  

When you’re five, the answer is usually something along the lines of astronaut, movie star, or storm chaser. As you get older, it morphs into lawyer, teacher, nurse, or something else that feels more practical and attainable.  

Then, when it’s time to go to college, you narrow it down even further: “I’m a Hospitality Innovation and Leadership Major with a concentration in Food and Beverage Management!” At the end of the semester, you add a minor in Property Management, and slowly, you are putting yourself into a tighter and tighter box.  

It makes sense: you’re told your whole life to pick a career and focus on that, so if you want to run your own restaurant, this seems like the perfect path to take in college. Throughout your college career, you may become an expert in every area of restaurant management, but who will hire a 22-year-old to run an entire restaurant straight out of college?  

No one.  

You have to stop trying to fit in the box of “expert.” It’s better to have more breadth in your knowledge than know everything about one very specific area. Most people talk about being a jack of all trades like it’s a negative thing, and that’s because they don’t know the whole saying. Societally, people tend to say, “A jack of all trades is a master of none,” implying that you can kind of do anything, but you’re not exceptionally great at anything. 

However, this version of the saying is incomplete. The full quote goes, “A jack of all trades is a master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one.” 

Focus on Your Field  

Now, I’m not telling you to break your laptop in half and learn how to be a mechanic (though it might be helpful later in life). I am telling you to open yourself up within your area. Stop focusing on only one practice within your field.  

Let’s say you’re a media student and you only want to film movies. Every class you take, every project you submit, and all of your freelance work is related to filming. Your portfolio is stacked with short films. Lucky for you, Warner Brothers is hiring! They’re looking for a social media specialist, someone to film and edit short-form videos promoting their upcoming movies. You apply…and get denied.  

Why? You’re a skilled videographer, you’ve won awards, you’ve worked on sets before and everything!  

Well…you have zero social media experience, whereas John Doe’s portfolio has four short films, three social media examples, two blogs, and a few graphics. While you may see that as nothing against your 37 short films, Warner Brothers sees it as someone who is flexible to fulfill any aspect this role may require.  

You have to open yourself up to the idea that you won’t immediately get your dream job. While you can and should focus on your dream position, taking a class or HubSpot certification here and there in other aspects of the field allows you to dip your toes in the waters of preparedness.

Scattered Versus Prepared  

When it comes to being multifaceted, there is a fine line between being scattered and being prepared. It’s good to pick one main focus, like an overarching theme based on your specific interest.  

You want to ensure that you are still skilled in every area: you cannot open Adobe Audition one time for a project and call yourself an audio engineer; you have to have the evidence and experience to back it up. You need to dial in on your field, not one position.  

Maintaining Boundaries  

Next time someone asks if you want to assist with something in your field, even if it’s not your exact dream job, say yes! Get out of your box and professional comfort zone. Open yourself up to opportunities.  

However, like with all things, there is a disclaimer: do not overwhelm yourself by trying to do everything all of the time. You are a skilled individual, and as you add more skills to your resume, you also gain the ability to figure out related tasks as you do them. Say yes to things, and allow yourself to grow, but maintain boundaries to make sure that you are prioritizing you.