Is it better to be a jack of all trades or master of one trade?

Answer 1

Jack of All trades, as long as you can do them well.
I can bounce from many trades. All related in that blue collar jobs require certain skills. Fork lift, Computer, Customer service, etc.
I have many other skills and licenses as required by my chosen trade which is Horticulture.
My husband is a software engineer.
I never get laid off.
He has been through about ten jobs, because of lay offs over the 34 years we have been married.
For me if a company looks like it is in trouble, I network and have a new job inside a month.
For my husband it is Job skills re training, resume writing classes and several months as either un employed or as a temporary employee while the new company decides to hire him or not.
Man, I am so glad I am a dumb farmer!

Answer 2

Well, I think it depends on the trade. I think it's definitely to a person's advantage if he or she is versatile and has a variety of skills and abilities. If you do decide to be the master of one trade, just be sure it's something you enjoy and can see yourself doing for the long haul if you are going to invest a lot of $ in an education for that particular trade or profession.

Answer 3

If you are talking about the workplace, then it depends. I am a retired engineer who was a "jack of all trades". There was a need for people like me just as there was a need for people who specialized in only one technical area. Generally, I've found that most work areas value people who can do more than one type of task and who can multi-task.