this post was submitted on 21 Mar 2024
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I don't understand the title. Specialisation is one of the drivers of having a shorter work day. If your work is niche, then you can get a higher pay rate and work less hours because you are in greater demand. Otherwise if you are a generalist, you have to supply more of your time to meet the wider demand.
It's a Heinlein quote.
A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects.
-Robert A. Heinlein
I'm on the fence, personally, some to like, some not.
"jack of all trades, master of none; but better than a master of one" as the old saying goes
Good saying...
pretty much describes my feelings towards Heinlein.
While it might work that way currently, I dont think its really desirable to have some people work way less than others based on skill. I dont think me being a software developer should result in me having more free time than the health care worker.
And beyond that, overspecialisation leads to siloing of expertise and common knowledge. People with specialised knowledge having the freedom to reskill, or being able to spend some time doing more meditative, menial work and mixing with people with all different types of knowledge and skill will enrich their expert knowledge, not detract from it. Cross-pollination of knowledge is a real thing.