Years Of…
One two three <breathe> one two three, this isn’t a stress exercise don’t worry <breathe> one two three <breathe> one two three <breathe, stop> four, five six. For six years of my life I swam: I had dived off of boards, flutter-kicked and freestyled—you know the drill, or at least I did. I had been doing well and I’d put in the hours–but, GOOD HEAVENS does the bottom of the pool get boring! But I’d done it for so many years, stopping would be a waste of my time! Already my peers have done the same as I in other sports!
One, two, three, four, five six YEARS of STEM—of Scratch, of snarkily explaining rainbows to enchanted children—firmly avoiding the Arts because if I haven’t started yet, why now?
And then I stopped.
As a society we are encouraged to find our niche and specialize, to get ahead, but actually this mindset hurts us–making us more susceptible to anxiety and unstable lifestyles.
Students K-12 are asked repeatedly what or who they want to become when they grow up. They try to divulge and predict their futures from hobbies and personality quirks, motivating themselves into careers that only carry skin-deep meaning to them. American high schools and colleges are rife with stress—The American Psychological Association in 2013 reported that 41.6% of students on surveyed college campuses suffer from anxiety. Whilst the CDC noticed not only do the rates of anxiety and depression jump by at least 5% from middle school to high school—but the most affected group is adolescents.
Why so much stress? Why is there such a pressure to “become” when we should “be”? Why do people ever have to truly settle upon a specialized career so early?
The common argument is in favor of experience—if one spends enough time focused, they will gain expertise in their field. Expertise and the air of professionalism that comes with years of practice is desirable, as it is a firm measure of intelligence and of capability. Nonetheless, during an observation of two labs, journalist David Epstein noted, “experts seem to have traded flexibility for narrow skill” (Epstein 32).
The study went as follows, one lab had a variety of scientists (botanists, geologists, epidemiologists) and the other was composed of only scientists who specialized in E.coli. Granted, this lab was studying E.coli–so it made sense, but in the long run the lab with the most variety was able to tackle problems weeks ahead of the other lab. They did this by comparing what they had learned from personal experience and connecting it to the problem, they creatively improvised.
A similar instance occurred when the order of play was changed in a professional bridge game, or when seasoned accountants were asked to use a new tax law for their deductions. Not only were the professionals brought down to the level of the novices, but in the case of the accountants–they were actually worse. They did not creatively improvise.
As some member of academia puts it (Eric Dane, professor at Rice University), they were “cognitively entrenched”. They had spent so long doing their specialized task that they were unfamiliar with learning and change. They were stiff and inflexible with years of experience.
This mental infringement can start early, with many nations sitting you in the trenches by your high school years—but this does not have to be the case, nor does it benefit you on the job market. Although, economist Ofer Malamud beheld that “generalized” students initially get hired with lesser salaries and positions–the peers who studied multiple fields quickly caught up to their specialized peers, in terms of pay, and were also far less likely to make a chaotic career shift. The “generalists” knew what careers they truly enjoyed through sampling, and were thus able to find a job that gave their life meaning and a positive purpose. Whilst the “specialists” had narrowed their interests early and failed to find what truly motivated them.
[they had dug their own cognitive trenches, so narrow where they that quite a few specialists tried to break from their routine and find different careers. However they found it difficult to make any head way as they had not even an inkling of an idea on how to start or work in said field.]
So, not only does generalizing your skillset make you more innovative, but it also makes you happier–because you’ve taken the time to find your real passions.
Alright! I have you convinced, I’m sure. Or perhaps I don’t, but keep in mind that you don’t have to completely ditch your years of gymnastics or hard-earned hours spent coding and explaining rainbows to children. Even a more involved hobby can fly under the radar of demanding parents and combat specialization. (which by the way, nobel laureates are 22 times more apt than their peers to engage in artistic hobbies–so weaponize as you will)
We’re asked from a young age, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” and given little time to thoroughly consider it. Through early specialization we are limited, and forced into making decisions that long term, will make us stressed and unresponsive in the face of new problems.
And thus, I began.
One two three years of the Arts.
One two three years of basketball.
One two three years of exploration.
One two three … years of ….
