[Opinion] Adolescents should aim towards being well-rounded and not solely proficient at a single subject or activity

Porsche+Carter+works+with+her+5th+grade+students+at+Stanley+Mosk+Elementary+school+in+Winnetka%2C+CA+Friday%2C+March+11%2C+2022.+Students+in+the+Los+Angeles+Unified+School+District+are+still+wearing+masks+while+in+school.+%28Photo+by+David+Crane%2C+Los+Angeles+Daily+News%2FSCNG%29

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Porsche Carter works with her 5th grade students at Stanley Mosk Elementary school in Winnetka, CA Friday, March 11, 2022. Students in the Los Angeles Unified School District are still wearing masks while in school. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

Phiona Smith, Writer

Versatility is an element that is essential toward all individuals, especially students. It is a key component to future success. Versatility is the ability to adapt or change to a wide variety of things. It is a significant factor in being well-rounded and is essential for forthcoming success.

Though versatility is very beneficial, it does not come easy for many individuals. People are normally so used to doing things traditionally that they often fail to consider alternative methods. This can lead to a failure of adaptability and a lower chance for opportunity.

The comfort zone plays a big factor in this phenomenon. Many people do not try to adapt to new skills or methods because it takes them out of their comfort zone. This mindset can be very dangerous, being that we need fear and changes in our life in order to grow and mature as people. This is because fear gets us out of our comfort zone, and leaves us more probable to try new things.

The comfort zone is a fairly easy place to get complacent. It is named as dangerous because while you’re in this zone of consolation, the outside world is transforming and its factors may disrupt the safe place in your zone.

Studies conducted by Professors Bob Kaplan and Rob Kaiser revealed that versatility attributes to nearly 50 percent of what distinguishes effective leaders from those who are ineffective. Versatility is a key factor that helps to build up an individual of success and triumph.

The difficulty begins when the skill we have gained mastery with is no longer needed and a whole new skill needs to be mastered. This can apply to getting transferred to a new department at work or working on a specific aspect of a project. If you keep your focus to one skill, and one skill only there is a greater risk of failure.

This may cause a loss of a job or obtaining a lower position due to a limited skill set. This is why being well-rounded is so significant. Having more knowledge and familiarity over many aspects will do more good than bad in the long run.

Things can happen at any moment, and just like that, the skill that you have mastered and practiced for years may be swapped for a skill that you have no experience or background with.

Discovering the right path to achieving veristality can be exceptionally difficult, nevertheless you can become a more well-rounded individual by following your interests, changing your experiences and seeking greater knowledge. Allowing your curiosity to branch and analyzing the world around you is one of the absolute best ways to make yourself a more well rounded individual by getting out of your comfort zone and experiencing new perspectives.

Versatility furnishes more freedom and opportunity to employ your own and preferred career pathway. It allows fewer restrictions and limitations on an individual’s abilities and will allow you to succeed.

Versatility at different subjects does not mean every skill has to be perfectly mastered, but simply that each skill must be well-rounded or balanced. A stable balance of skills will help to construct a higher field of experience and knowledge, allowing greater opportunity and prospect as a whole. As adolescents, it is extremely important to familiarize oneself with not just one good skill, but multiple decent skills in all aspects.