Science & Technology

Why specializing early doesn’t always mean career success | David Epstein

Visit to get our entire library of TED Talks, transcripts, translations, personalized talk recommendations and more. A head start doesn’t always … well, help you get ahead. With examples from sports, technology and economics, journalist David Epstein shares how specializing in a particular skill too early in life may undermine your long-term development — and…

Published

on

Visit to get our entire library of TED Talks, transcripts, translations, personalized talk recommendations and more.

A head start doesn’t always … well, help you get ahead. With examples from sports, technology and economics, journalist David Epstein shares how specializing in a particular skill too early in life may undermine your long-term development — and explains the benefits of a “sampling period” where you try new things and focus on building a range of skills. Learn how this broader, counterintuitive mindset (and more forgiving timeline) could lead to a more fulfilling life, personally and professionally.

The TED Talks channel features the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world’s leading thinkers and doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes (or less). Look for talks on Technology, Entertainment and Design — plus science, business, global issues, the arts and more. You’re welcome to link to or embed these videos, forward them to others and share these ideas with people you know.

TED’s videos may be used for non-commercial purposes under a Creative Commons License, Attribution–Non Commercial–No Derivatives (or the CC BY – NC – ND 4.0 International) and in accordance with our TED Talks Usage Policy (). For more information on using TED for commercial purposes (e.g. employee learning, in a film or online course), please submit a Media Request at

151 Comments

  1. Trak Star

    September 21, 2020 at 7:22 pm

    this dudes old and trying to remind himself that it’s okay to be a jack of all trades and a master of NONE. He’s not even good at public speaking and persuasiveness. This human being is botched. This lecture is NIL.

  2. Siddarth

    September 21, 2020 at 7:47 pm

    Great talk 👌

  3. uniworkhorse

    September 21, 2020 at 8:09 pm

    What an amazingly well put together speech, love the visuals he tossed in there

  4. Magnus Sörensen

    September 21, 2020 at 8:18 pm

    If anyone is interested in a masters degree designed with quite a brood curriculum. I would be happy to point at the Robotics course at Märlardalens Högskola in Västerås could be a good match. In that course, you will learn math, computer science, control system, affine transformations, FPGA, Simulation, path-planing, Build electrical system from scratch with self-made PCB.

    Anyone remember the Google April fools bike? Well search for “Autobike self driving bicycle, figure 8 test” here or youtube, it was built by classmates.

  5. tflspitfire

    September 21, 2020 at 8:28 pm

    Or in short: jack of all trades, but master of none, still often times better than master of one

  6. بنت الحشد

    September 21, 2020 at 8:32 pm

    تحياتي 🇰🇼💚🇺🇸💚🇬🇧💚🇨🇦💚🇮🇷

  7. emy w kosha

    September 21, 2020 at 8:38 pm

    very nice 👍😌👍
    We are a family of Amy and Kosha. We present very beautiful comedies, felines, challenges, and we are very tired. We hope to encourage us and enlighten us to join you, my dearest people, so that we can continue.

  8. Arrogant Knats Barcelona

    September 21, 2020 at 9:09 pm

    “When you’re surrounded by people who share a passionate commitment around a common purpose, anything is possible

  9. Olivia Brecht

    September 21, 2020 at 9:23 pm

    I didn’t think I needed to hear this TedTalk, but it’s so nice to see scientific prove that trying a range of things is, in many cases, a great option.
    I personally never liked the idea of sticking to one job or one creative outlet, I have always felt the urge and desire to try many different things, which felt like I was lost on my path since everyone else already had figured life out for themselves.
    Deep down I knew I’m making the right choice for myself anyway, nice to have a little backup support talking about it in a more success-driven way as well.

  10. Mark Maxwell

    September 21, 2020 at 9:29 pm

    I couldn’t agree more
    My working in many different fields of Engineering and many different jobs has done wonders for me….
    Learning how to fix things tends to give the person an intricate understanding of how things work….
    Food for thought 🙂

  11. Ranel Marinduque

    September 21, 2020 at 9:37 pm

    I was waiting for him to mention “Forrest Gump” 😁😅

  12. lokesh yadav

    September 21, 2020 at 9:39 pm

    Great topic to adress

  13. Traore Sekou

    September 21, 2020 at 9:40 pm

    Didn’t know Dyson died yesterday.

  14. Jerome L.

    September 21, 2020 at 9:48 pm

    A good TED talk!? Is this 2013?

  15. Marcelo Tau

    September 21, 2020 at 9:55 pm

    Very good knowledge. It was a learning and reflection with this excellent video. Congratulations!

  16. Verena Satriani

    September 21, 2020 at 10:15 pm

    There are certain time needed by certain people. To know what best carrier that suit us, take a little ‘slowing down.’ Embracing the process.

  17. EMON

    September 21, 2020 at 10:20 pm

    I wish you all get a nice career… <3

  18. gNightrow

    September 21, 2020 at 11:18 pm

    This is Why Command economies and Socialism is a bad idea. The market is completely unpredictable. if you thing otherwise I am advising you to STFU .

  19. Ricardo Rodrigues

    September 21, 2020 at 11:30 pm

    That’s true, but completely the opposite of what industry does when hiring people. They always choose the most specialized ones with years of experience in a particular field.

  20. Matt Roszak

    September 21, 2020 at 11:38 pm

    Very cool talk, actually changed my perspective on this topic. I’ve always thought that specialising in one area early was the best way to form a career, and it’s what I did personally, starting video-game development and animation at 13, and doing it professionally by 18. I’m 30 now and feeling very bored of my work, despite being successful and making a lot of money. Maybe it’s time for me to start trying other things.

  21. J R

    September 21, 2020 at 11:56 pm

    Tennis is not as precision driven sport as golf. You don’t need specialized training as golf.

    And if you track professional NBA, NFL, etc players, they didn’t excell in school or college atheletics as their peers. They survived long run without major injuries. Real good ones are overused, get injured, and quit or change career as they see the trajectory of pro athletes only in the field for 3 years – you have to plan for better future than that.
    Bulk of the industry still relies on specialized education. You don’t get math, medicine or engineering education by jumping around hoops or cutting corners.
    Nobel laureates can have 22 different hobbies or interests outside of their field, because they have money, time and resources available to do so.

  22. Balance Health Wellness Music

    September 22, 2020 at 12:07 am

    Totally agree, we are constantly changing and evolving!

  23. J. S.

    September 22, 2020 at 12:11 am

    Gatekeepers choose winners and ration opportunities to compete. Sometimes even winning definitively cannot overcome Gatekeeper politics which “chooses winners” rather than “officiates competition” among skilled peers.

    Of course gatekeepers can’t stop you from working on your craft, they can’t stop you from studying and they can’t stop you from growing your skillsets. But, they can stop you from practicing and professionally applying all that you have invested.

  24. Startup Funding Event Global

    September 22, 2020 at 12:18 am

    To even have a chance at success, you have to invest at least 10,000 hours into it!

  25. Alway John Rallos

    September 22, 2020 at 12:54 am

    Now I’m starting to doubt in pursuing my passion

  26. علي عباس جلال محمد

    September 22, 2020 at 4:20 pm

    Roger Federer was among his country’s top junior tennis players by age 11. He turned pro in 1998, and with his victory at Wimbledon in 2003 he became the first Swiss man to win a Grand Slam singles title
    YOUR MAIN EXAMPLE IS A PROOF TO YOUR WRONGNESS ,
    Like 11 !! how earlier do you want someone to begin

  27. Mlibo

    September 22, 2020 at 4:24 pm

    Wow what a great ted talk.

  28. Rian O Luasa

    September 22, 2020 at 4:54 pm

    His book is so so good

  29. Ashley King

    September 22, 2020 at 5:32 pm

    Very good. Alternative perspective.

  30. Kelvin KJ

    September 22, 2020 at 5:33 pm

    11:30

  31. Aritra Chakrabarty

    September 22, 2020 at 5:45 pm

    *cough* terence *cough* tao

  32. Sergey Volkov

    September 22, 2020 at 5:47 pm

    He is clattering him tongue as thogh a bee hit his @ss. I don`t manage to understand what he says

  33. Venkat Iyengar

    September 22, 2020 at 5:47 pm

    Very cool

  34. Soup Castle

    September 22, 2020 at 6:03 pm

    I love how we know this but no ever use it in schools

  35. Shreyansh Gautam

    September 22, 2020 at 6:03 pm

    I just don’t know how to thank you for this.. I just don’t have the words.. you proved it using scientific data!!! This video made a huge impact on my self confidence and career, Thanks a lot….

  36. Rejjan Abazi

    September 22, 2020 at 6:29 pm

    Epstein?

  37. Arthur Mathews

    September 22, 2020 at 6:30 pm

    I saw this already… Weird…

  38. Lee Amra

    September 22, 2020 at 6:33 pm

    Thank you! amazing!!!

  39. Sheraj Ikram

    September 22, 2020 at 6:50 pm

    Very well said…

  40. Abhishek C S

    September 22, 2020 at 7:19 pm

    But at the end of the day you still need to have as much knowledge as a specialist to be able to atleast get to their level. Reading through the comment section i felt like people forgot about the whole idea of the story and got narrow minded into seeing things the way they want. lol

  41. Tony Bennett

    September 22, 2020 at 7:43 pm

    This is excellent,should be integrated into teaching structures worldwide.

  42. Ow3nX1

    September 22, 2020 at 7:43 pm

    And now the opposite question: why specializing late doesn’t always mean career failure. That’s my current state in life and I need some hope that my life decisions are not that worse than people want to tell me.

    • Ow3nX1

      September 22, 2020 at 8:05 pm

      after watching the video: okay, my question is answered. 🙂

  43. GaNGPLank TheKeg

    September 22, 2020 at 9:05 pm

    Really changed my perspective on the topic. But my biggest question is if late specialists caught up in earnings 6 years later and early specialists left their profession sooner, would late specialists also eventually leave if the same amount of time elapsed?

  44. K Si

    September 22, 2020 at 9:18 pm

    This was Gold. Thank you. I couldn’t think of ANYTHING better

  45. K Si

    September 22, 2020 at 9:23 pm

    Best TED there is

  46. me who?

    September 22, 2020 at 9:57 pm

    tough crowd

  47. Corbin Davies

    September 22, 2020 at 10:25 pm

    Well how about that 😂😶

  48. nostalgiapunk

    September 22, 2020 at 11:41 pm

    this made me feel so much better. im 18, graduated high school in june and im taking a gap year but i am so scared because i feel like i have no calling in life. my high school course was specialized in human sciences so i mostly studied sociology, psychology, pedagogy and anthropology. i was convinced i wanted to study sociology at uni but i am not anymore. now im really drawn to programming but i dont believe in myself enough

  49. Anonymous

    September 22, 2020 at 11:59 pm

    In his youth Albert Einstein spent a year loafing aimlessly. You don’t get anywhere by not ‘wasting’ time – something, unfortunately, that the parents of teenagers tend frequently to forget.
    *Carlo Rovelli*

    You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something – your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. Because believing that the dots will connect down the road will give you the confidence to follow your heart even when it leads you off the well-worn path; and that will make all the difference.
    *Steve Jobs*

    Specialisation is for insects. I don’t believe in this model of trying to focus your life down one thing. You’ve got one life just do everything you want.
    *Naval Ravikant*

    I think if we thought about career choice like dating, we might not pressure people to settle down so quickly.
    *David Epstein, in this talk*

  50. Ma. Rachel Santiago

    September 23, 2020 at 1:15 am

    Thank you! Very astonishing!

  51. נועם סגל

    September 23, 2020 at 11:49 am

    This talk might have just significantly changed my life for the better

  52. Roy Anque

    September 23, 2020 at 12:32 pm

    Well, it seems that a fighter who practiced one thousand types of kicks once is better than a fighter who practiced one type of kick one thousand times… the more I think about it.

  53. ゆきがすごい。

    September 23, 2020 at 12:52 pm

    I read his book which is translated into Japanese. I’m so glad to see you twice today by this video. I totally agree with his thoughts and I’m gonna focus on exploring new fields and not decide to do early only one thing. From 21 old student 👩‍🎓 🇯🇵 Thank you so much for great video 🤍

  54. ilove2929

    September 23, 2020 at 1:28 pm

    The thing is can work world make up their mind and adapt to this?

  55. Vision in Cohesion

    September 23, 2020 at 1:29 pm

    To have that ignition in heart requires exploration. If without ignition one can have outward success which doesn’t spark joy and wouldn’t carry you over 10 years. Whereas if have the ignition of heart it would carry you forever. Then it becomes your career. Independent investigation is key, in faith, marriage, career, hobbies, and life in general.

  56. 郭WTXK8F

    September 23, 2020 at 1:34 pm

    I think “success” is an illusion.It is the lack of platform that makes people look “unsuccessful”. Now we have youtube ,facebook and other means to reach the audience, thus we created more celebrities who earned much. In the future, maybe everyone can have these means; everyone can be everyone’s audience, and no one is alone. When one can have others’ attention, one cannot be really poor.

  57. Marcos Fernandez

    September 23, 2020 at 1:37 pm

    I can’t understand anything because he talks very fast, so I’m going to finish bored

  58. Jordan Belfort

    September 23, 2020 at 2:09 pm

    I really hope people don’t abuse that as rationalization fodder for procrastination. That’s not the point. At all.
    There is a huge difference between doing nothing and actively exploring your interests.
    Just like someone striving for mastery in one particular field spends multiple hours each day on their development, a generalist will do the same – just in different directions.
    So try to spend at least one hour a day on reading/listening, watching videos, talking/writing, thinking (!!), practicing etc. about stuff that interests you – then you’re on a good track.

  59. Sarit Hiranyaphinant

    September 23, 2020 at 2:23 pm

    As a 21 y/o who is very frustrated with his scattered skills, I really needed this video. Never been happy about being a generlist. Thank you for this great insight, Ted-Talk

  60. nasreen shaikh

    September 23, 2020 at 2:31 pm

    Exactly, like during ancient times
    All Greek philosophers were not specialized in any of the subjects, they were interested and were good in Arts, zoology, astronomy, mathematics, anatomy etc
    They were polymaths, that’s the reason behind their genius minds
    We are made to have multiple interests rather than just one like this wicked world 🙂
    If you agree just hit the like button 😉

    • Ns

      September 24, 2020 at 10:30 am

      .

    • Nargis Akther

      September 24, 2020 at 1:12 pm

      @Ns thank you for your insightful contribution Ns

    • nasreen shaikh

      September 24, 2020 at 7:04 pm

      @Ns okay, 😂 from next time on wards I’ll not forget to put full stop 😂

  61. Ruben Whitter

    September 23, 2020 at 2:43 pm

    He talks with a commanding, respectful tone. I love it

  62. binay yadav

    September 23, 2020 at 3:22 pm

    Today i learnt a new thing. I always assumed early start wins you the race while missing the point that a late start makes you realize that you don’t even wanna race.

  63. Steffen Van

    September 23, 2020 at 4:07 pm

    Is the example with Maryam Mirzakhani really a good example of someone who didn’t specialize early but went on to become super successfuld in her field? During her early high school years, she became the first Iranian woman to ever obtain a gold medal twice in a row at the International Olympiad of Mathematics – the second time, with a perfect score. She’s one badass of a woman, but I think that she kinda disproves his point of not specializing early?

  64. samar banodha

    September 23, 2020 at 4:52 pm

    I’m sorry I’m late for this but,
    R.I.P Freeman Dyson
    15/12/1923 – 28/02/2020

  65. samar banodha

    September 23, 2020 at 5:03 pm

    I’m 18 and I’ll be in college soon, but I still don’t know what should I choose for my future. I always knew that I’m not that good at science and maths but I have a huge interest for it. So, I chose to study science and maths. But I still don’t have any idea which branch I should choose.
    After watching this video, it gave me a sense of relaxation that it’s never too late. So I’ll just try out every option that fits me. And let’s see what happens….

  66. Martina Hatzig

    September 23, 2020 at 5:53 pm

    😎 Mein Sommerhit 2020, für euch!!! Am Ende eines herrlichen Tages…
    >>>

    Schnell angucken und träumen! 💕

  67. Doomhound

    September 23, 2020 at 6:26 pm

    Ultra generalist here.

    Ive worked in so many fields at this point:
    The Military
    Aviation
    Beauty (Barber)
    Art / Design
    Welding
    &
    Sales.

    When I compare my life to my peers I feel I am waaaay behind in terms of my “career,” however, I feel that I have a much better understanding of the world.

    I haven’t chosen a career yet. I’m actually thinking of going back to school for chemical engineering (if I can train my brain to do the math).

    Coming from a home that didn’t have a lot of money, I’ve had to work throughout my life and this has given me incentive to learn varied marketable skills.

    (Tangent: The very first lucrative job I stumbled into was writing research papers for students in HS. I enjoyed doing the research and learning new things and the lazy students enjoyed the fact that they could pay me $100 for a 10 pager and I’ve have it done in about a day or two. My fastest 10 pager was completed in just 4 hours. No adderall. Just caffeine. I got an eighth of weed in the deal, too lol. Thinking back, I basically made like $37/ hr on that deal as an 18 yr old. That’s not bad at all).

    Every profession has its downsides. Some too boring, some too repetitive, some too mundane, some pay too little, some too dangerous or too unhealthy. We all have our reasons for leaving a career at a certain point and doing something new.

    Hopefully being a generalist will pay off someday. Sales seems to be a good place for people that have been around the block since we can relate to so many people, but it’s not a very fulfilling career choice. I need to switch again soon.

  68. Huda Khelef

    September 23, 2020 at 6:35 pm

    So true

  69. J rige bilinski

    September 23, 2020 at 6:54 pm

    Wow so interesting and true

  70. Ancala #1

    September 23, 2020 at 6:57 pm

    in my case i have hit the point where i lose a bunch of common sense, ’cause of single mindedly focus on 1 field.

  71. Xuan Ngoc Nguyen

    September 23, 2020 at 8:05 pm

    this is a really good talk because i am trying to chose the right career for myself and it hard, it is good to know that i am not alone

  72. jessicajnsm

    September 23, 2020 at 9:54 pm

    A jack of all trades, master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one…

  73. Luke Hattersley

    September 23, 2020 at 11:51 pm

    Inspiring speech. I specialised early and became a chartered accountant at 23, and now at 25 I feel like it’s too late to change and do something I actually like. It’s easy to get hooked on a decent income and not want to retrain or change direction.

  74. Areya Lunera

    September 24, 2020 at 12:33 am

    Phew 😅 this makes me feel so much better about things. I’m 33, am on my 6th field, and getting educated in a 7th field. Currently I’m in a role that is at the intersection of my previous experience and am pulling out ahead of my peers. My multi-disciplinary background/being well rounded opens up a lot more opportunities for me as I am eligible for a wider variety of roles. I honestly wouldn’t change it for the world. I think it is important to try different things to learn about yourself and what is important to you!

  75. suraj amom

    September 24, 2020 at 1:58 am

  76. Thomas Fieschi-Rose

    September 24, 2020 at 6:25 am

    I know this is mean, and he’s a great guy, but how many jokes do you think he hears about his name every day?

  77. karl kisii

    September 24, 2020 at 7:47 am

    I almost read Jeffrey Epstein 😂😂

  78. Letter Fake

    September 24, 2020 at 10:33 am

    I have no idea on how one can get success. Some spend their whole lives looking for that one place where you can be successful while others get stuck on on a single path that gives them just enough to be satisfied.
    I guess in the end, we should be specific in a single goal while not fearing to peek into other things of interest.

  79. Vedant Vardhan

    September 24, 2020 at 2:57 pm

    People in India will relate this to the craze of students starting to prepare from class 8th for IIT

  80. arielsanchezmora

    September 24, 2020 at 5:29 pm

    What an amazing talk!

  81. hemangi

    September 24, 2020 at 7:40 pm

    With a billion perspectives of the world, this one surely zooms out on a lot we don’t know but could learn. Thank you for this engaging and curiosity building talk.

  82. Float Circuit

    September 24, 2020 at 10:49 pm

    I’m all over the map: playing chess, doing pure and applied math, physics, computational programming, art, dance, music, watching tons of YouTube, dreaming about amazing fiction, studying economics in my spare time, learning about cell biology and 3D tissue engineering, statistical epidemiology (because of COVID), understanding the American real estate market, the private equity market, climate change, energy sustainability, web development, you name it.

    I find these fields very fascinating and I’d like to think I have a good high level understanding of most of them. I’m also a college dropout with no obvious job prospects, and it seems like my human potential is regressing day by day. My brain loves to sample different fields, as you might call it, but now most of my friends are in grad school or doing phds, starting companies and working with amazing firms. I try not to let it bother me that the flow of my interests aren’t so linear, but it’s quite clear that I’m “behind”.

    This talk was quite comforting, because I know that I’m meant to do something that both society and I can appreciate, and it’ll happen when the stars align. In the mean time, more math while I binge YouTube, I guess (not that that’s necessarily a bad thing).

  83. Ran

    September 25, 2020 at 12:32 am

    Roger Federer was world champion at age 16. Maryam Mirakhani won gold medal in the International Mathematical Olympiad at age 17. Ted Kacz had a 3.1 GPA in college…

  84. Andrew Cecce

    September 25, 2020 at 1:29 am

    I have 10,000 hours in Witcher 3

  85. Clarissa Ann Mendoza

    September 25, 2020 at 5:31 am

    very insightful and interesting thank you

  86. ramesh g

    September 25, 2020 at 6:22 am

    He rightly says, in this uncertain wicked world.. U got to have an open mind or else u will be sucked dry..

  87. Rik van der Bruggen

    September 25, 2020 at 10:46 am

    This isnt anything new, they still adhere to the 10.000 hour rule … they just try a few different thing before they deside what they wanna specialize in. In sports the difference is that people tend to get worse as they age, so you DO need to start early

  88. Diego Campos

    September 25, 2020 at 11:35 am

    It’s amazing when we realize that everything can be different only with a new perspective. Astonishing talk !!

  89. Mukhtar Gafar

    September 25, 2020 at 12:53 pm

    I love tennis😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊

  90. Edu207

    September 25, 2020 at 2:42 pm

    Thank you so much for this

  91. yonaxl

    September 25, 2020 at 2:50 pm

    Kobe Bryant once said when asked about training his kids basketball early, “I asked MJ what he was practicing when he was 12. And he said he was playing baseball.”

  92. jill bust

    September 25, 2020 at 3:36 pm

    Someone can translate this video in French?

  93. Thủy Nguyễn

    September 25, 2020 at 3:50 pm

    I thought I know what he was going to say so I didn’t intend to watch it. But fortunately I decided to make it. And it turned out to be one of the most inspirational ted talks I have ever seen. Made me less worrying and continue trying 🙂

  94. James Sandoval

    September 26, 2020 at 2:29 am

    It’s like the Hedgehog and the Fox. We need both.

  95. Amit Mishra

    September 26, 2020 at 6:07 am

    Oh so learning variety is also important!

  96. Yordan Kirov

    September 26, 2020 at 12:26 pm

    Epstein didn’t kill himself.

    • Ammaar Kadri

      September 26, 2020 at 4:59 pm

      And this guy is proof of that

  97. Trevor

    September 26, 2020 at 12:30 pm

    Idk others, but Claude Shannon was interested in STEM from very early age and never changed.

  98. Okta Okay

    September 26, 2020 at 12:55 pm

    Thanks to all encouraging comments here.. So lovely 💕

  99. violinning human

    September 26, 2020 at 1:39 pm

    here trying to convince myself i didnt have to start violin at 3 years old lmao

  100. Abhipray

    September 26, 2020 at 2:52 pm

    Such a great presentation and narration

  101. Abhipray

    September 26, 2020 at 2:55 pm

    Now I get it why companies keep talking about diversity

  102. Midhun m s

    September 26, 2020 at 3:11 pm

    Thank you so much for this video. I have spent the past few years banging my head on the wall thinking that I have chosen the wrong career path by selecting civil engineering instead of theoretical physics…..

    This is indeed an eye opener… Now i have full confidence….. Thank you so much…. Thanks a million

  103. xiu chen

    September 26, 2020 at 3:43 pm

    But It is hard for me even only learn one thing let alone many

    • gh0s1

      September 26, 2020 at 7:40 pm

      You learn what you’re most interested in. No one ever fully “learns” anything. There’s always something new.

  104. Lance D.

    September 26, 2020 at 4:14 pm

    The timing of this is amazing.

  105. ITouchTheSky 8GladysWorld8

    September 26, 2020 at 4:59 pm

    I agree with you. But, talking about my personal life, my parent taught me to study hard and to work hard for my dream.

  106. Sofía A

    September 26, 2020 at 6:07 pm

    This is probably the best tedtalk I’ve ever encountered

  107. Duda Santiago

    September 26, 2020 at 6:24 pm

    This made me feel a little better. I’m 27yo and until today, I’ve only “jumped” (don’t know how to say that in English) from career to career. Started out as an English teacher at a small language course, then I started working as a recepcionist, in the meantime I also took theater classes, in 2017 I started my Marketing graduation but up to today, don’t know exactly what I’m doing. But this video made me feel a little more confident about the future 🙂

  108. gh0s1

    September 26, 2020 at 7:43 pm

    “If we all reacted the same way, we’d be predictable, and there’s always
    more than one way to view a situation. What’s true for the group is also
    true for the individual. It’s simple: overspecialize, and you breed in
    weakness. It’s slow death. ” – Mamoru Oshi

  109. D Vo

    September 27, 2020 at 3:09 am

    A well spoken orator is magnetic.

  110. Anna Szabo

    September 27, 2020 at 4:40 am

    This is absolutely fascinating! Thank you so much for bringing this truth to our attention. I’d change the phrase WICKED WORLD though 😃

  111. Paul Rescorl

    September 27, 2020 at 5:41 am

    The premise of the standard visual illusion of a circle being surrounded by big circles vice small circles at mark 07:30 to 0745 in the video where the presenter states, “whereas someone who hasn’t been exposed to modern work, with it’s requirement for adaptable conceptual thought, will see correctly that the central circles are the same size” is utterly preposterous and belies the underlying validity of this presentation.

  112. Thomas Godart

    September 27, 2020 at 6:14 am

    That’s a wicked TED Talk 😜 Good job!

  113. Albert

    September 27, 2020 at 8:22 am

    Lol nice name

  114. Kevin Emha Malik

    September 27, 2020 at 12:56 pm

    Yes, this is how inventor, journalist, art director, even businessman work. We always need big scope of the world to open our eyes. Unfortunately, people who jump and jump to many field label by “Master of None”.

  115. satish dahal

    September 27, 2020 at 2:14 pm

    I am just 20 and I had made a heavy thought on what should I do with my life. I came to a conclusion after some deep thinking. This guy changed my perspective, this video came as a rewinder. I just erased what I had thought.

  116. Jerry Glass

    September 27, 2020 at 2:59 pm

    So what you mean is… specializing early often always means career success?

    Okay, I’m out of here.

  117. 👨🏻‍💻

    September 27, 2020 at 3:01 pm

    Love the context and so articulate it’s admirable… but damn, how much Adderall did you take before this speech?! 😂😂😂

  118. L M

    September 27, 2020 at 4:00 pm

    I tried various things in wicked environments, wedding planning, investigations, retail, special education, florist, business owner,, data analyst and decided to shift and found something that I love. I’m older than others but so happy about the shift! I’m glad that I started late instead of early! Thank you for posting and sharing this! It’s good news and from others in the comments the information is priceless! My favorite quote from this is “We can’t replace a board person with a specialist.”

  119. Jessica Ye

    September 27, 2020 at 4:12 pm

    One of the best Ted talk I have ever watched, sounds like it should be common sense but no one ever had illustrated it’s importance. Thank you!

  120. pritul dave

    September 27, 2020 at 4:24 pm

    really a great eye opening TED talk

  121. Ajay kishore

    September 27, 2020 at 4:46 pm

    Was this reuploaded?
    I can bet I have seen this particular video before

  122. Lwazi Mpulu

    September 27, 2020 at 7:39 pm

    I love a TEDtalk worth watching.

  123. Yup Tup

    September 27, 2020 at 10:08 pm

    I’m sorry what’s his last name?

  124. missVierzehn

    September 28, 2020 at 6:12 am

    Reminds me of “rich dad poor dad” in a way. And yet, here I am, about to finish my masters before starting my PhD next year. And while a part of me really likes this path (and I think during your time as a PhD student you learn much more than what you are working on, many many soft skills etc) another part of me doesn’t know whether that’s a good idea and whether I am not missing out on something

  125. Tommy Saechao

    September 28, 2020 at 6:32 am

    Epstein didn’t kill himself.

  126. Times Nepal

    September 28, 2020 at 6:55 am

    Ausome, thanks it really opened my eyes

  127. 다니엘Daniel

    September 28, 2020 at 8:00 am

    Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts and ideas. I will keep in mind that 😌

  128. brendo

    September 28, 2020 at 9:57 am

    that was really well done. good work! i liked it

  129. Adi Mulyono

    September 28, 2020 at 10:02 am

    Conclusion i get is raising child like gambling. We dont know what he will be. Even if we raising them good or bad way

  130. Priscilla Mwasinga

    September 28, 2020 at 11:01 am

    This is real gooooodd!

  131. Thomas Robatsch

    September 28, 2020 at 1:13 pm

    What about financial access? Some people urgently need money after high school (or even before). It’s much more attractive to immediately become an apprentice in a trade, rather than barely making ends meet in odd jobs or going to college and trying out a few majors.

  132. hamid jreige

    September 28, 2020 at 3:42 pm

    YEsk

  133. HATIM BOOTWALA

    September 28, 2020 at 4:01 pm

    This was so true, it felt like he was voicing my feelings.

  134. Nikhil Singh

    September 28, 2020 at 5:08 pm

    Narrowing field of view is definitely there if you’ve been working on only one thing all your life. Good video

  135. Jog B

    September 28, 2020 at 10:46 pm

    Are the results better because a diverse knowledge/skill base helps, or because when people get to choose what they like or are better suited to they go farther?

  136. 1 2

    September 29, 2020 at 3:30 am

    Epstein didn’t kill himself

  137. Cadibang

    September 29, 2020 at 5:52 am

    This inspired me a lot

  138. Abhishek Sharma

    September 29, 2020 at 7:04 am

    *Perspective*

  139. Pia Berni

    September 29, 2020 at 9:03 am

    I am 23 and since covid19 questioning all of my life choices. Its so though 😪 I feel suicidal everyday..

  140. Sarah Agnia

    September 29, 2020 at 9:28 am

    I used to think that it was wrong to have a lot of hobbies or get interested in dozens of stuff. by now I am graduating from an engineering major but I found my self so interested in entrepreneur world. On the other hand, I am quite artistic, I sing well enough, and have a sense of design and enjoy doing that, but the skill I have been developing more is language- particularly English, since I am not a native speaker, and I have to passed an English test to study abroad. Now the problem is, I have no clue what major I should take. I have spent 4 years studying a major that I am not interested at all, and the idea this video gave me personally cheers me up a little that I might be more adaptable and be successful in the long term, but it is just ridiculous wasting another years searching for the one that fits our life. is what I am facing now is what people called as ‘quarter life crisis?’ I guess what I experienced commonly happen to a newly graduate, anyone feels the same or have any advice please do share with me.

  141. Ashwin P G

    September 29, 2020 at 1:53 pm

    Beautiful Ted talk

  142. Karl FOD

    September 29, 2020 at 3:33 pm

    Skinny Huge Jackman.

  143. Nicholas Hildenbrand

    September 29, 2020 at 3:49 pm

    Best TEDtalk I’ve ever seen. Very much underrated.

  144. Tanvi Kejriwal

    September 29, 2020 at 4:26 pm

    Yikes…. unfortunate last name

  145. Caravan Hound

    September 29, 2020 at 4:56 pm

    My Indisn parents were like.. ok..you’re 18..pick a course(obviously something that’ll fetch me a high ranking- socially acceptable-big money,status and respect-kind ).
    Also..kids this age are often confused about what to do..what to pick..so we’ll just pick it FOR you.
    And of course you have to spend all your young years struggling to handle this thing that’s prescribed to you.😤

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Trending

Exit mobile version