Side Quests in the Grand Line

In the vast, open-world landscapes of our favorite games, we often face a compelling choice: should we embark on side quests to uncover new territories and hidden treasures, or should we hone our skills and master a single path? Just as in these games, any learning journey presents us with the same choice—explore the unknown or perfect what we know. In this blog post, I discuss my experience of trying to balance between exploration and mastery in my career.

Mastery vs Exploration

This is a dilemma that has plagued me for years. Mastery requires 100% commitment to a single path, while exploration demands a willingness to venture into the unknown. You can’t have both. Specialists are people on one side of the spectrum, who have dedicated their lives to mastering a single domain. They are the best at what they do, but they often lack the breadth of knowledge that generalists possess. Generalists, on the other hand, have a wide range of skills and knowledge but may not be the best in any one area.

As a kid fascinated by computers, I have always been eager to learn everything about them which put me on the far generalist side (Well, within the realm of computers). However, jack-of-all-trades is a master of none. I have often found myself spread thin across various domains, unable to dive deep into any one of them. I started exploring android and web applications, picked up application security and reverse engineering, drifted to network programming and ended up in low-level systems programming and cryptography. At times, this has led to a sense of dissatisfaction, as I felt I was not making significant progress in any particular area. There were also times when being a generalist helped me connect the dots and think I would not have it any other way. In terms of Capture the Flag (CTF) competitions, I feel good about being able to solve challenges in all categories ranging from web to pwn to crypto. But I am not the best in any of them.

Professional Journey

A profesional career often demands specialization which has slowly pulled me towards the center of the spectrum from being an explorer. From my brief experience, I have come to accept that there is a very little space for jack of all trades in the industry. Employers look for specialists with expertise in a handful of areas. I have tried to map this situation in an Ikigai distribution map. I have come to realize I would need to pursue both “What I love” and “What I can be paid for” independently.

Side Quests

I am still figuring out the right balance between exploration and mastery. While it is a permanent jugglery, I have adopted the strategy of side quests while mastering a single path. Just like the journey of Straw Hat Pirates to reach One Piece in the Grand Line. This means I have to pick one path to master which is a tough choice for me. While the side quests are not direcly related to my career, they bring me joy and fulfillment. Often, they also help me bridge gaps in my knowledge and compliment my primary path. For example, CTF pwn challenges require exploiting memory vulnerabilities which requires learning linux shell and process model in depth. As a side effect, this significantly improved my debugging skills. Does this mean I have given up my desire to be jack of all trades? I don’t have an answer. But, I am happy with the balance I have struck so far.

The journey of unlocking new knowledge is never-ending and filled with excitement. It is a marathon, not a sprint. Just need to keep going however we see fit at that moment and enjoy the ride.