Dear Reader,
“A jack of all trades is a master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one.”
This little saying has gone through quite the transformation over the years. Coined in either 1592 or 1612, depending on who you want to credit, it originally just read a jack of all trades and had a fairly flattering connotation. Later, in the late 1700s, the master of none part was added, flipping it into a mild insult. The second line—but oftentimes better than a master of one—is more modern, but brings us back to it being a compliment (at least mostly)
These days, full stack developers are expected to be jacks of all trades, though it seems that most employers are hoping they’ll be masters of all, instead of masters of none. While we can’t ...
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