Welcome to My Brain

““A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects.”

— Robert Heinlein Time Enough for Love

I love this quote for many reasons. I think primarily because it brings me solace. For whatever reason I grew up thinking you had to choose a career and that was it — the rest of your life was building on the ONE THING. Instead of me buckling down, choosing that ONE THING, and getting on with it, it left me indecisive. What if I changed my mind? What if I wanted to change my mind? What about all the other things I was interested in?

If you look at my career thus far, I’m scattershot. Looking at my resume it’s tough to discern a story — a path — where an early job led to a promotion or next level up that led to another and on and on. Instead, you get periods where I tried one thing, learned the skills associated, then pivoted to another thing that interested me. And I have endless interests. When someone asks me what I like I take a deep breath first.

Heinlein’s quote speaks to the need to be multi-faceted as a human being. A diverse set of skills and abilities is also what helps the species (or individual) adapt to changes in the world around them. Embrace learning all sorts of things, even if they seem unrelated. Because the truth is, they are related through you. You’re the connective tissue between them.

August 7, 2025