David Epstein: How Falling Behind Can Get You Ahead

Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World

In late 2021, when I was thinking hard about what to do next in my career, I came across this book by David Epstein. Because I was listening to the book while browsing an audiobook app, I did not notice its cover, and 15 minutes into the book, I still mistakenly thought it was describing the 10,000-hour rule in Outliers. Well, although it does not completely contradict the rule, it convinces us that in certain types of problems, having a wide range of knowledge beats focused practices. Boom!

I cannot keep track of how many times I have to pose myself the most annoying question: “I’m bored, what’s next?”, followed by the guilt of not persistently pursuing my previous “passion”. I always feel half happy, half jealous of friends who seem to have found a career that they both enjoy and excel. More often than I wish, I feel disappointed at myself for not being a laser-focus learner. After reading this book, I finally can give peace to myself, that I have been on the right track all the time - on my own track. I may have not found my life long career when I was 15, and I clearly have not found it yet at 30. It doesn’t matter. I will focus on my short-term goals, utilize my time for trial and error, and broaden my knowledge on interesting topics. I am certain that I will eventually find something that works out for me. Let’s just pray that it won’t wait until my 90th birthday to show up ;).

I think the book would be helpful not only for those who are switching careers, but also for ones thinking of going deep into a specific area in their fields. I figure most of us are too busy with school and/or work to read this book in whole, so I thought I should share the author's 15-minute TED talk which is a perfect summary of his book.

What are your thoughts after watching this? What experiences that this video reminds you of? Can you imagine your next “moves”? Please give this post a heart <3 if it has brought you positive energy. Happy growing!