[TurquoiseSunset]

Do you identify with that phrase and why?

I do. I sometimes feel like I'm spread thinly over all my interests, but that I'm not as proficient in any of them as I think I should be. Is it an INTJ thing or just a Turquoise thing?

I know there is a thread where INTJ's discussed their obsessions and many mentioned being focussed on something for months and then switching to something else. This seems to be a type characteristic so I thought it would be interesting to know your experiences regarding my question.

 

[Alima]

I'm great at a lot of things, but I feel like I'll never truly master any of them. There will always be something to improve on, or something more to learn.
I never obsessed over something for a month then switched to something else. My obsession has lasted for years, and I've had one maybe two other smaller obsessions that have kind of died out over the last year or so.

 

[Filo]

Master of a few trades. When something piques my interest, it will keep doing that until I've mastered it. Then, there is more to learn.

 

[Ziwosa]

In a way I guess I can relate to that as I'm interested in almost everything.
But I still have preferences on some specific subjects. And I will try to master these.

 

[green4keeps]

In my realm, I consider myself the "I.T. Jack Of All Trades, Master of None". It's what I do for a living. And to be perfectly honest, it frustrates me. I WANT to be a SME (Subject Matter Expert) of some system I'm working on instead of being spread across so much, but my current job doesn't allow it. I'm in the process of getting my bachelors in hopes it will help me get better standing at position openings at surrounding employers - bigger companies with room to grow & move up in. I want to get into a System Analyst role, and I know I'd be good at it - I've done plenty of it on a small scale in current/previous jobs...

All work aside, I tend to get frustrated on any subject I try to master. As soon as I get a bug up my ass to learn everything there is to know about something, I hear my mother in my head saying, "No matter how much you know about something, there will always be someone who knows more" and "For each expert there is always an equal and opposite expert"... and all the wind is knocked out of my sails and I drop into a mindless lull of irritation and frustrated agony.

 

[militaryinteldoesntequate]

Heh heh, in my job field I am very much a Subject Matter Expert.
All Source Military Intelligence Analyst is actually not too bad of a job. Our MOS has been considered by a previous superior to be the Jack of All Trades and the Experts at Nothing.

 

[Filo]

All work aside, I tend to get frustrated on any subject I try to master. As soon as I get a bug up my ass to learn everything there is to know about something, I hear my mother in my head saying, "No matter how much you know about something, there will always be someone who knows more" and "For each expert there is always an equal and opposite expert"... and all the wind is knocked out of my sails and I drop into a mindless lull of irritation and frustrated agon

That's nonsense. The average PhD, for instance, is the expert in the tiny part of the field he worked on.I also think the amount of people who know more about my current field (if I define this properly narrow, i.e. one particular trading strategy) than I do would fit comfortably in a rather small living room. It's all a matter of extreme specialization; the penalty is you only are so knowledgeable for very very small bits of your field.

 

[lirulin]

I do spread myself thin, in some ways.
I guess it depends on how you define "master." If it is relation to the subject material, there is always more to know when it comes to anything interesting, so it is hard to "master," particularly if your reference point is perfection. And I suspect INTJs are more aware of their deficiencies in this area than some other types - though not all of us care to admit it publicly. If it is in relation to other people and their level of knowledge, well that's easy if you're keen, but what INTJ defines their knowledgebase in relation to other people?

 

[green4keeps]

That's nonsense. The average PhD, for instance, is the expert in the tiny part of the field he worked on.I also think the amount of people who know more about my current field (if I define this properly narrow, i.e. one particular trading strategy) than I do would fit comfortably in a rather small living room. It's all a matter of extreme specialization; the penalty is you only are so knowledgeable for very very small bits of your field.

And with that penalty, do you not feel that much more isolated? That once you've mastered something, you no longer can engage in meaningful, learning conversation with another to understand it more/better? Once you've got it perfected, don't you corner yourself into being bored with the conversation around it?? Or is that when you then move to a new, different topic to explore and master?

 

[TurquoiseSunset]

I do spread myself thin, in some ways.
I guess it depends on how you define "master." If it is relation to the subject material, there is always more to know when it comes to anything interesting, so it is hard to "master," particularly if your reference point is perfection. And I suspect INTJs are more aware of their deficiencies in this area than some other types - though not all of us care to admit it publicly.

Maybe I am being a little hard on myself. I mean, I work and there's only so many hours in the day. If I wanted to become extremely knowledgable in any area I would have to spend loads and loads of time on it and I'm not prepared to do that because then I neglect other areas of my life, but also, other interests.

If it is in relation to other people and their level of knowledge, well that's easy if you're keen, but what INTJ defines their knowledgebase in relation to other people?

Yeah, taking into account the people I know and have come in contact with so far, I am more knowledgable than the average person. It's not hard to be though, when you realise that all they do is read celeb tabloids and watch soap operas.

 

[PeevesOfCourse]

I am an entirely specialized creature.

 

[beth x]

Do you identify with that phrase and why?

I do. I sometimes feel like I'm spread thinly over all my interests, but that I'm not as proficient in any of them as I think I should be. Is it an INTJ thing or just a Turquoise thing?

I know there is a thread where INTJ's discussed their obsessions and many mentioned being focussed on something for months and then switching to something else. This seems to be a type characteristic so I thought it would be interesting to know your experiences regarding my question.

I can relate to this.:dry:

Spending months on sound engineering, mosaicing (well at least I did enough to build a shower base piece), automotive, electronics, geology, philosophy, patchwork.....hmmmm....I just get overly bored doing the same thing maybe.:mellow:


NB: W00T I can edit and use smilies again.

 

[TurquoiseSunset]

I just get overly bored doing the same thing maybe.:mellow:

Absolutely! I get bored easily or I get to a point where I just want to start something new.

 

[nyn]

I call it being a generalist rather than a specialist, and, frankly, I prefer it that way.

As much fun as the current passion at any given moment may be, there's always something else around the corner and I'd really feel I'd be missing out if I wasn't free to pursue it. Even if this means I won't become a 'master', I'm usually still way above average, so that's okay. Furthermore, as I stated in another post, these passions seem to recur at intervals, so there's always the opportunity to widen and deepen my knowledge at a later point. This is how I have mastered my very first and oldest passion by now, and that experience too helps me be more relaxed about all the others :wink:

 

[TurquoiseSunset]

I call it being a generalist rather than a specialist, and, frankly, I prefer it that way.

As much fun as the current passion at any given moment may be, there's always something else around the corner and I'd really feel I'd be missing out if I wasn't free to pursue it. Even if this means I won't become a 'master', I'm usually still way above average, so that's okay. Furthermore, as I stated in another post, these passions seem to recur at intervals, so there's always the opportunity to widen and deepen my knowledge at a later point. This is how I have mastered my very first and oldest passion by now, and that experience too helps me be more relaxed about all the others :wink:

You're right, being a master can be limiting :happy:

 

[Zic]

I'd say that that quote applies more to INTPs than it does to INTJs... that P makes a difference. I'd say INTJs are more likely than INTPs to "master" a field, such as genetical engineering or something like that. When INTPs do something like that, they do it only because they have to, in my opinion. Even if something really piques my interest, I don't want to know ALL of it; I'd rather jump to learning something else.
If I were to explain it with cognitive functions, even though I prefer not to rely on them, I'd say Ne is the culprit for INTPs, while Te could do the same to intjs.

 

[L'Empereur]

Yeah, I relate to it. But for some reason, other people think I'm an expert in whatever I'm interested in :S

 

[ImNoTJustletters]

It is well known that the phrase "Jack of all trades, master of none," applies to ISTPs.
This is because, unlike us INTJs, ISTPs don't recognize that there are limits to what can be known, and so continue to collect all sorts of knowledge throughout their, unrecognized but limited, exsistence. (insert evil laugh here!)

 

[Monkey Fritz]

Absolutely! I get bored easily or I get to a point where I just want to start something new.

I am always bored.
Occasionally though, I find something interesting enough to distract me from being bored, I'm still bored, just no longer paying attention to the fact. Soon as the distraction of shiny knowledge becomes simply knowledge, the realization of boredom returns.

Ultimate goal of multitasking?
To Write, Direct, Act, and Score my own major production movie. That will be the epitome of success.
After having published several books and albums, and piloted around the world on my own boat, of course.

And produce lightning from my own hand!!! That would actually trump all the others.
As would laser eyes.

 

[TurquoiseSunset]

And produce lightning from my own hand!!! That would actually trump all the others.
As would laser eyes.

I always wanted to be invisible, like that girl from Fantastic Four, but I want to move through walls too (not sure if she does that). It sounds weird, but I would use it to spy on people. It would be so interesting to see people when they think no one's looking!

And less creepy: I always wonder what certain houses look like inside, so I would check out interesting properties this way. :tongue: