Being a senior computer science major, one may expect to find me hunched over my laptop late into the night, cracking open energy drinks and hacking away at my next project as I apply to hundreds of jobs. While that last part may hit a little bit close to home, I find that this hypothetical cornerstone of my identity is not one I always display. I have made an effort to gather a wide range of experiences while at Trinity, and I believe that I am the better for it. I strongly encourage every student reading to do the same, as the opportunities available are both accessible and desirable from a professional standpoint.

Perhaps I could’ve become a much better coder than my peers if I had kept my head down and stuck to my degree’s script, but I chose something less straightforward. RA, columnist, mariachi, singer, gymbro, fraternity recruitment chair — the amount of hats I wear has kept increasing.

There are so many unique experiences students can have at a school like Trinity. Volunteering with Trinity University Volunteer Action Community, exploring the outdoors with OREC or taking care of our Trinicats with Cat Alliance Trinity, to name a few. These and the myriad of other clubs cater toward personal interest. Dedicating your time to these efforts can yield so much, and if you think you may enjoy it, why not give it a try? Even beyond the scope of curiosity, I think there is a far more important and practical reason to pursue a wider range of skills.

Someone with a large skillset, a “generalist” with more soft skills, can provide tons of value across multiple avenues in a company. You may call a tile specialist for a kitchen remodel, but a general contractor is still a necessary point of contact, and oftentimes will be the first person you call when in need of house work. By honing your skills in multiple areas, you can fill in gaps and be more consistent. This adaptability is a powerful tool and can make you extremely valuable. As discussed by the Harvard Business Review, there is significant correlation between generalists and higher-paying jobs.

Now this also applies to seemingly unrelated skills, and often helps in subtler ways. The best example of this is leadership skills: the ability to work with a group of people efficiently is something that is always valuable. Being on the Residential Life staff has no correlation with software engineering, but I very often leverage all of these experiences for my tech-centered internships. Coding is one thing, but most days, the most significant work we did was plan, delegate and talk with one another. This isn’t taught in most computer science classes, but the organizations I was part of gave them to me.

I think the biggest flaw to this argument is the classic “jack of all trades, master of none” conundrum. By spreading yourself too thin, you can easily end up with an array of half-baked skills that you cannot apply practically. This is a real risk, but I think it can be accounted for with good pacing and understanding of that fact. Also, if this is something you worry about, the “specialist” lifestyle is still viable and perfectly marketable in the real world. Depending on the industry and company needs, you could be a great fit. At the end of the day, there is a threshold where someone particularly skilled in one area is needed over a generalist. Like in our previous example, that contractor will always rely on the tiling expert for that remodel.

With so much focus on graduation, jobs and having your life planned out in your 20s, I think some narrow their vision too much to enjoy the opportunities that surround us. I don’t think that this generalist lifestyle is meant for everyone. It is a choice that has risks — but in my opinion, the risk of ambition is one worth taking every time. While at Trinity, you might as well see if this path is for you.