Is it better to go for depth or breadth in your studies?

Depends what you want to do. Or more specifically, if you know what you want to do. For example, if you’re going to become a software engineer (like me), not a person on the planet having to do with your career is going to give a rat’s behind that you got a minor in Russian Literature, and you’re far better off spending those credits going further in your field.

If you don’t know what you want, or you think there’s a good chance you might want to change careers at some point, get yourself at least familiar with as many interesting topics as you can.

It’s better to learn about that which excites your deep interest. If that is several things, you will end up with a broader education than if it is one thing. Neither deep nor broad is inherently better. Benjamin Franklin was quite a polymath. Madame Curie had a rather limited interest.

I’m taking @pdworkin‘s approach. I feel it’s the best all around. I was told most employers now-a-days don’t care if your degree is not directly related to the job. I’m studying psychology and have no intentions whatsoever to be a psychologist. I figured if I have to be in school I might as well study something which interests me.

Pumpernickel Rye.

If you’re in college, it likely will be a different world by the time you get out, Unless you follow the mayans.

I strongly agree that having a pleasent worthwhile vision of where you want to be is critical. I wouldn’t have made it without. That vision can be converted to a blueprint of the life that you will build, and likely in the end it will come out different than you expect.

You will need as a minimum. Ammunition. Water. Food stores. Beyond this all is frills. Feel free to study your brains out on general topics until you know which area a reasonable distance from the future meteor strikes and fallout zones will be.

You should learn first aid, hunting, and how to string a bow with deer sinew.

Just in case there will be civilization, it never hurts to have a job so that you can afford a really nice bomb shelter.

Just kidding.

@DrMC: You’re weird.

Just saying.

LOL

One must be able to earn a living, so sufficent depth in one field is a necessity. In my case, engineering.

I think it is necessary also to pursue an intellectual passion, especially if it is different from the field in which you earn your living. In my case, history and classical music.

I was fortunate enough to pursue both the career-related education and the passions to a fairly high level. Since I tend to pick interests and pursue them to great depth, but narrowly, I’m not a well-rounded person intellectually.

There are other things besides intellectual pursuits to follow passionately as well. These can be a mixed bag. I’m an avid target shooter but dislike hunting. I love medium distance running and cross-country skiing but hate to compete in them. I love to cook, but dislike the social aspects of dining.

I’ll never fit the ideal of the “Renaissance Man” but I’m slowly broadening my interests. Fluther is a great help and incentive to do this, challenging me to become more knowledgable in other fields and allowing me to help others broaden their horizons as well.

Great question, Haleth!

@Facade To an extent that is true with employment. But an employer looking for a mechanical engineer is not going to be very impressed with a degree in Russian literature.

Interesting question. If you have a passion for something, go deep. If you’re not sure what you want to do, but you’re curious about what’s out there, go wide.

@DrMC Heh heh. I was thinking from the first few sentences that you would give some stock advice about ending up with a different career than I anticipated. That was waaaay different. I guess in a post-apocalyptic world you would need breadth of skills, because you have to do everything for yourself from hunting to building shelter, making clothes, killing zombies, and defending yourself against other people. Then once people start forming post-apocalyptic societies, you can become more specialized because other people will have their own specific skills, and you can trade.
That’s what I’m trying to get at with my question even though my example sucks. Society keeps becoming more complex and our technology becomes more and more advanced. As a result, jobs become more specialized and it takes more years of education to learn how to do a job. Can you still be successful as a jack of all trades, master of none?

@Haleth I think you are correct that eventually you have to specialize, but not right away. I didn’t even finish high school when I was a kid, and I went to college late in life because I needed re-training in order to work. Nothing is irrevocable.

@Haleth You can make a living under the “jack of all trades” banner in basic things like electrician, plumber, mechanic, carpenter, HVAC technician, etc. Especially in a small town setting where someone might be needed right now to do a job competently rather than waiting days or weeks to have it done expertly.

@stranger_in_a_strange_land Of course. I was referring to other career paths such as designing, advertising, managing, etc.

so a specialist is a person who knows more and more about less and less.
a generalist knows less and less about more and more

It really depends on you. I knew from an early age that I wanted to be a generalist. There was so much to know and I loved it all. I really believed that we needed people who could synthesize a lot of diverse bits of knowledge to create important new knowledge.

Now I work in exactly such a position, where I can bring together people from a wide variety of disciplines to meet each other and learn skills that might have applications for all of them, I used to be able to understand them all, too. I miss that.

I just like seeing the biggest picture I can see. I can’t stand details. I want to know the whole thing. I do interviews with my clients so I can see how to help them. I just pester them with all kinds of questions. My reason is that I need to understand as much as possible about what they are doing in order to help them. While this is true, and because I know how to ask good questions, I am very good at my job, but I have to say that I truly enjoy what they teach me, and in the end, I’m pretty sure I’ve gotten more from them than they have from me.

Hmmm. Not sure if I stayed on topic there.

@Facade Sorry, I was being a bit sarcastic; your statement didn’t warrant such a flippant reply.

@stranger_in_a_strange_land Shame on you~

heleth – we get bent out of shape about these nuances. My subtle point is that our primary needs are well met.

We’ve got hunting, fire, mating, and combat covered.
when you lose your job, or a meteor hits – remember- we humans got it covered.
Whether you are a plumber, or a master electrician is a secondary concern.
From a business standpoint, the consumer of professional education has the option to chose the field to invest in, at varying prices and intrest levels.

Specialization is a treat of modern civilization made possible by bartering. It improves efficiency. A prostitute can produce sex much more efficiently that a haggard pre historic cave woman, allowing the poor wife chance to kill rats in the cave. The cave dwelling husband can better produce tiger skins and the sea folk can produce more fish. Bartering then allows a better standard of living. More fish, skins, and especially more sex! (just kidding)

Some theorize however the first currency used was intoxicating herbs or prostitute tokens.
Ah that takes me back. ; )

A good life ploy is to broaden in a way that enhances the focus areas, and allow demand (jobs) and interested to drive specialization. Layer in a little good luck, and passionate chaos and you’re set. Always remember how to make soap from potash, and carry a pocket knife. (just kidding)

If we can fill the senate with the current bums, then it proves that anyone, even obama can be made president, with the right special interest groups backing you. ; )

Chose well grasshopper, and don’t forget about stringing your bows. Dont’ forget, the matches will run out. Better learn an alternative early.

I think it depends on age. How about this (rough) formula for percentages

Depth = 100 – Age
Breadth = Age

Depending on the profession the values can go up or down.

With that formula your breadth would rise, and your depth fall as you age.

In my experience I grow in both directions, and fall in unused, uninteresting areas. The direction of push depends on above, and the amount depends on immediacy of need, frequency, and level of interst, with applied dilliegence.

I’m a lifelong learner. It’s what makes me tick.

This is different for different people. Some people degenerate into TV viewers after retirement and their mental function declines steadily.

Yes, but absolute depth does not necessarily fall as you age. For certain topics it could be significantly deeper compared to when you were young. The percentage falls only in relation to breadth.

Now my brain is hurting

A good sign. You are “stretching” your breadth ;-)