> How far can a boring person with diversified interest go? Diversified interests sounds like the opposite of boring to me. > If one doesn't aim for excellenc

> How far can a boring person with diversified interest go? Diversified interests sounds like the opposite of boring to me. > If one doesn't aim for excellence, is it a bad thing? It probably indicates that your actual interests lie in something other than what you are currently doing. One suggestion I found useful was to make two columns on a sheet of paper and keep it at your desk. The first column is "I loved this!" and the other is "I hated this". When you find yourself enjoying a task (or vice-versa), write it down. The theory is that our interests are surprisingly specific. The guy saying this (Erwin McManus if I recall correctly) said that he is really excited by helping people find their passions. Not pursue them, find them. It helped me identify some of the areas I enjoy, so I've pursued jobs in those areas. > I am jack of all trades but master of none. Reframe this: I know a little bit about everything, so no matter what your problem is, I can solve it. I might not solve it the most efficiently, but if you need a problem solved, I'll solve it. Some environments need raw production. Some need carefully crafted algorithms. Some need prototypes held together with duct tape. Some need solidly connected piping. Breadth favors some environments over others. Breadth is helpful for freelance contracting, for instance, since clients have a problem and want the assurance that you have already solved a similar problem before, so the more difference environments you have worked with, the more likely you will look like someone who can solve their problem. I wouldn't worry too hard, though. (Nor would I recommend jumping in to freelancing too early.) If you're early in your career, focus on figuring out what it is that you enjoy, and leverage your skills to slowly move in that direction. And figure out what your boundaries are (hrs/week, pay, on-call, etc.), so that you know what things to avoid. There's plenty of software jobs besides FAANG out there.