Will certainly read again. But I wanted to jot these notes down quickly…

Many times I’ve also pondered asked myself and pondered why the world rewards such specialists.

The best reference point are the corporate structures where (specifically in software teams, agile) employees dare not step out of their own box because it does not appear in their job description.

In big corporate structures you get a lot of this, maximising efficiency & reporting lines with clear process to minimise chaos. In scrappy startups, you get the opposite. You need to be resourceful with your time in small businesses, competing with the big behemoths. Therefore if you hate process, people would be best served joining smaller teams.

The second half of the debate is that we would do well to also pay attention to the progression of technology, where we stand today. In a world where you can no longer outcompete people through effort or because you come from a certain country or background, we are all to some extent going to need to be specialists in our own disciplines. Otherwise someone somewhere, robot or not, will do it better for a fraction of the cost. When we’re no longer competing regionally, but globally or at least across continents… we must adapt and be known and recognised as experts in our fields. Unless of course that expert requires getting any job done and being resourceful in your own local area.

I believe that passion comes from growth itself, from learning and from a sense of expectation from the outcome. When we stop learning in our jobs or careers, or we no longer believe the pursuit is no longer meaningful, it is likely to lead to more questions than fulfilment. Following your passion is great, but impractical for many people. Finding a company or a mission that will exist and be in demand in 10 years is less so. That is a good place to start. Learning a new skill is empowering too, but don’t expect to become a specialist at it anytime soon.