I think I speak for many of the friends I had in high school and college by saying, “I was involved in a lot.” Many of the people I knew in high school and college were involved in countless clubs, organizations, majoring in twenty different things, and doing thousands of extracurricular activities. It wasn’t just the fact that we were under the impression that when people looked at us in college and job applications, they loved well-rounded applicants, but we simply had a wide array of talents and interests. Running from club to meeting to practice to family things, all just to stay alive.
Come to find out, years after I thought that being well-rounded was the best way to be, I wasn’t as right as I thought I was. While being well-rounded in academics, athletics, hobbies, and involvements might be a great thing, it isn’t always what employers and schools are looking for. Now, that’s not to say you should hone all of your efforts on one skill and only do that your entire life, but maintain a balance while you focus on recognizing your strengths in one area, as opposed to improving your weaknesses in your other well-rounded corners. That is to say, you’re a person who is really great in all of the academic areas in your high school curriculum, but you excel in your true passion: physics. Or, you’re pretty good academically and are on the football and track teams at school, but you’ve immersed yourself in leadership, both on and off the field.
In fact, in order to maximize your personal value to a company or a college, it may be ideal to look at leading design firm, IDEO’s take on an individual’s skillset: http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/95/design-strategy.html
Being T-Shaped is how IDEO describes the idea that an individual has a wide array of skills and knowledge bases, but really excels in one area of passion. This is harder to balance than you think. Some people (like myself from time to time) are scatter-brained and can’t focus enough on one passion to excel, while others have an area at which they are outstanding, yet they have nothing else to be supportive of that success. Now, while both of these scenarios may work, a clearly drawn out T-Shape diagram helps us to realize where our potential lies, and how we can best help the world around us.
So, take a good look at your skillset and ask yourself the questions, “What are all of my skills? and Which skill am I really passionate about and stands out above the rest?” Everything else will come naturally. Most of all, you have to enjoy doing that skill that stands out. Without the passion, it is so much harder to excel and be happy with what you do best.
My Dean gives the “T” speech to all the accepted students. I have heard it countless times and I thought it was pretty original. I guess not.