The Importance Of Versatility

By: Ian O.

      Being able to adapt to your surroundings is something that a lot of people will overlook when considering what makes someone successful, yet it is such an important skill. Versatility in business, or really any profession, is so important for young professionals who need to get their leg in the door. Many students might have already heard of this in some variation, like getting a minor in another field or practicing skills outside your original skill set. Why do we seem to be so focused on this recently though? Has the market become that unstable that everyone should be able to do multiple things that might not be in their original job description?

     A key point many bring up when discussing the importance of versatility is that we are in a transitioning market. What this means is that our current job market has a lot of things coming in, such as new technology(robotics) and new ways of business(outsourcing), so the jobs that someone might think are there might be taken or changed once they finish their degree or get into the market. Being versatile will allow you to roll with the unpredictability of the market and allow you to pursue a similar career. You essentially need to become a "Swiss army knife" as shown on the right, or in other worlds hold multiple different skills. An example of this could be someone who wants to go into accounting can't find a job at an accounting firm, but because they are versatile they can find a job with finance or economics. We see this a lot when it comes to almost every field. You want to go into marketing? Get a minor in communications! Getting a degree in computer science? Add on a degree in mathematics! While it might not be what you want to do exactly, it allows you to be open to change and "roll with the punches" that you don't see coming. It certainly won't hurt your resume if you do go for the career you wanted originally, in fact it will help encourage them to hire you knowing that you can fill multiple roles. It's almost like multi-tasking to a much higher degree and will set you up for a world of success in the future.

Sources:
Picture:

 Case, Anna. Swiss Army Knife. Digital image. Http://technologyadvice.com/. 4 June 2014. Web. 10 Apr. 2016. <http://technologyadvice.com/blog/human-resources/need-master-art-versatility/>.