Jack of All Trades: Only possible through education?

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

This is a great quote from Robert Heinlein, one of my favorite Science Fiction authors of all time. If you’ve never heard of him, or read any of his book,s his wikiquote page is worth at least a cursory glance (https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Robert_A._Heinlein). His books usually deal with a very competent character tangled up in a difficult, almost impossible situation that is solved through a combination of hard work, luck, and most of all, thinking through the complicated situation.

Looking at the above quote, that is quite an impressive list, and while his characters in a fictionalized world may be able to accomplish all of those tasks, us mere mortals may struggle a bit. There is hope though, however.

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