by Kevin Morris

Created on: February 10, 2007   Last Updated: May 21, 2007

All or Nothing?
Specialization is a fascinating concept, and one that governs much of our lives. Societies have divided labor and resources for centuries, and become more productive as a result. Military commanders delegate authority, coaches train their players for a precise role on an athletic team, and we students, though enrolled in a liberal-arts university, tend to focus our education with a specific career in mind. I am no exception; as an aspiring professor of the humanities, I have focused almost exclusively on courses in history, philosophy, and literature during my time at AU. It has made me more productive. By enrolling in such an interrelated collection of courses, I have been able to focus my efforts more precisely and tune my study habits exclusively for the social sciences. This semester, however, I have learned not to take the concept of specialization too far.

Over the last two months, I realized that I missed using the quantitative side of my brain. I missed numbers, data, and objective results, as nerdy as that sounds. In my haste to divide and conquer over the last year, I had ignored the mathematical and scientific pursuits that, while not directly related to my future goals, had given me immense fulfillment during my secondary education.
Thus, disregarding all of the time-saving incentives of specialization, I have been making efforts to refamiliarize myself with math, chemistry, physics, and economics. I was simply doing this for self-fulfillment, and expected no productive benefit from doing so. In fact, I was expecting to become less productive, less efficient, and less finely tuned for the courses that comprised my major and minor. Instead, the opposite happened: by broadening my horizons, by de-specializing, I have become more efficient, rather than less. By honing my analytical skills, I have become more creative. By being a better mathematician, I have become a better writer. By becoming a better chemist, I have become a better philosopher. This was a surprising outcome, to say the least, and one that has forced me to reevaluate my entire approach to education.
Specialization has its place, and I will probably always remain skewed towards work in the humanities and social sciences. But I have learned that specialization is meaningless without balance. To ruthlessly ignore all pursuits that do not relate to one's career, to focus solely on one's major or minor, is to sell one's self short. And, if my experience is any indication, it will also make you less productive. So I challenge my fellow students to resist the notion that specializing always makes you more efficient. Broaden your horizons and inform yourself on an array of fields and disciplines; the results will surprise you.

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