Have you noticed that most people today only strive to develop one career at a time? When you ask someone what they do, they invariably say one profession, don’t they? The government won’t support you in your pursuit of two simultaneous ventures or studies either, will they? You’re either studying full time or working full time. Sequential careers, yes. Concurrent careers, no.
When I was a boy, my hero was without a doubt Leonardo da Vinci. I admired him most of all because he was able to combine engineering, science, invention and art. Excellence in each of these disciplines made him a veritable genius. If you’re going to aim high, why restrict yourself to being an expert in one field, when you can choose among many?
Sometimes I wonder, how well would he do today in today’s modern world? If he were plucked out of his time and plonked into ours now, what would he do? Everything he conjured up has already been invented. I am sure that he wouldn’t be able to land a conventional science or engineering job as he’d be considered a “jack of all trades and master of none”. You know how it is. Recruiters would take one look at his long hair and his resume and quip: “so you say you’re a painter, sculptor, architect, scientist, musician, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, geologist, astronomer, cartographer, botanist, historian and a writer? Right.”. Or he’d be a starving artist. Galleries and museums wouldn’t be too impressed with his portfolio either – “Sorry, your style is not what we’re looking for (not creative enough) my friend”.
I think if you brought Leonardo da Vincci to our time zone he’d be an entrepreneur. It’d sure take him a while before he even found something new and worthwhile to research or invent. And he’d probably be addicted to Google. It’d make an interesting television series, wouldn’t it? Go back in time and interview famous people from the past. Then bring them here and see how they cope with modern life. “Leo, this is called a helicopter. This is a drone. This is a drone flying inside a helicopter. Oh he’s finally arrived. Leo, we want you to meet Mr. Van Gogh, an artist from another time period.” I wonder how they’d react.
I have no idea why I’m writing this. I suppose it is just more content. But it’s also to remind myself that when in doubt about my persona, I look to Leonardo, the quintessential renaissance man. What would he do today I wonder? I think he would do exactly what he does best: not to pursue expertise in just one field, but to delve into many areas simultaneously. Only then would he try to make sense of the world…