Hacker News Reader

I've been a generalist all my life, I don't think I could be otherwise because I love to learn above all things.

That's a curse and a blessing at my forties.

And I don't know who is more successful, but certainly I can tell that my main disadvantage is the constant, crippling imposter syndrome. Because I know some things about many things, but above all, I know how much I don't know yet.

View on HN

> I can tell that my main disadvantage is the constant, crippling imposter syndrome.

IMO, that may in fact be an advantage. The biggest pitfall generalists face is Dunning-Krueger. They rush into a new field, think they know everything, and get burned by their overconfidence. Generalists can be very powerful, but only if they understand the boundaries of the unknown unknowns.

That requires a high level of epistemic humility, which often feels like imposter syndrome from the inside.

Most people consider themselves generalists. And it kinda makes sense, because most people, when you know more about them, are generalists.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com