Jack of All Trades

People often say, “Jack of all trades, master of none,” and they throw it around like an insult, leaving out the rest of the quote ,the part that makes all the difference.

The full saying goes, “Jack of all trades, master of none, but oftentimes better than master of one.”

That last part has saved people like me. People who show up in many places wearing different hats. People who are not always seen as specialists but who somehow always get things done. And most times, we don’t even talk about it. We just do the work.

Over the years, I’ve found myself doing everything from writing and photography to graphic design, moderating events, teaching, crafting communication strategies, and mentoring girls . I’ve never sat in just one lane. At first, I worried that maybe I was doing too much. That I needed to pick one thing and stick to it, because that’s what everyone says success looks like. One focus. One path. One box.

But life doesn’t always come in neat boxes. Especially not when you’re working in spaces where resources are limited and you’re called to fill gaps no one else is looking at. You learn to do what’s needed. You become that person who can jump from storytelling to strategy without missing a beat. And somewhere along the way, you realize that your versatility is not a weakness, it’s actually your strength.

Being a Jack of all trades has made me resourceful. It has made me adaptable. I’ve been able to sit at tables I never expected to sit at, not because I knew everything, but because I was willing to learn and apply what I knew across different contexts. I’ve collaborated with mentors, supported community projects, created campaigns from scratch, and used both my hands and my mind to communicate for change.

Sometimes the world makes you feel like you need to be a master of one thing to be taken seriously. But I’ve seen how much impact can be made by people who know a little bit of many things and know how to connect them with purpose.

If you're someone who’s always asked, “So what exactly do you do?” and you struggle to answer because you do so much, this is for you. You are not confused. You are not scattered. You are just multi-talented, and in a world full of complex problems, that’s more of a gift than a curse.

It’s okay to be the kind of person who doesn’t fit neatly into a single job title. You are allowed to be all of who you are. All your traits, all your talents, all your passions , they matter.

Because sometimes, being a Jack of all trades is what makes you unstoppable.