In the title I was going to say fall under polymath, but most of the time when I say someone is a generalist for example. I usually refer to them as polymathic, so it makes more sense for the title. However that distinction felt important to make in the post. As this post itself might be contentious to some in the polymathy space.

Most of the people I know in the polymathy "niche", or rather anti-niche/meta-niche of polymathy, they all have a bit of disdain for the term multipotentialite.

I mention this because to me it seems like the "start", the potential to do many different things, and it is a positive moment. Albeit a little bit misleading...

Multipotentialite, Multipassionate, and Multi-Faceted, are all words that really just kind of mean the same thing.

Jack of All Trades to me seems to be closer to polymath in the sense that it is a range. I've met JoAT's that were earlier on the polymath journey, and then I've met JoAT's that were quite literally polymaths. However they identified more with the jack of all trades moniker. That is okay, and while I might disagree with the alignment. As in it is more suitable to call the latter individuals a polymath, as it is more descriptive/applicable. To me what is most important is how you message who you are to others.

I came up with the The Multi-Disciplinary Spectrum for this reason, as I felt there were so many people on the early stages of the range. Either identifying with multipotentialite, or jack of all trades, and then not realizing there were levels to attain afterwards.

This post is probably a long time coming. I've discussed these topics I think individually, and of course talked about "leveling up to polymathy". It was even the name for the newsletter at one point, now the 🧮 The Polymath Wiki.

Let's go over the three terms first:

I might sound a little callous when describing these perhaps a bit, but that is simply just the logical aspect. Truly I love how all of these terms have helped a lot of people identify themselves.

Each term sort of acts like an anchor for someone, usually it is the first word you find, but sometimes it is the one that feels most related to you.

While I think some of the terms leave a lot to be desired, the point remains that you fell into the polymathic world. Now let's keep you going.

For reference:

Polymath (Definition)
A textbook definition combined with my own interpretation in this documentation for Polymath.
Official Website for Dustin Miller PolyInnovator [LLC]Dustin Miller | PolyInnovator

Multipotentialite - A potential to do what?

That's great, having the potential to do many things, and then what? Having potential is not the same as actually spending time in an area of interest.

You have to learn, do, and most importantly create something in a field really master something. Just because you are passionate about many things, and have the potential to do many things. It doesn't mean those things define what you know, or who you are.

Someone on the Polymath PolyCast show I host mentioned something to me that I think really resonates with this term positively: pluripotent. A biological term about a cell that can adapt to whatever is needed.

Think of it as the start of the journey.

Jack of all trades - Master of none?

Obviously the quote continues "but oftentimes BETTER than a master of one". Most people misquote it, and only reference the first half. Alas that leaves a negative connotation, as if the JoAT is spreading themselves too thin.

With the full quote it leaves a positive connotation. By diversifying you get a multi-faceted point of reference. The problem is that the term jack of all trades itself just causes too much confusion. Even if you insist on the full quote, and make sure the person knows it. The fact that you have to explain it at all decreases your argument. In addition, most JoAT's do tend to be on the earlier end of the spectrum (more on that later).

Meaning they haven't spent too much time in any one of their areas of interest. I usually say they have about 8-15 areas, and most of them novice. Maybe Adept.

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I'm not gonna get into the "gender" aspect behind this term too. Given that "Jack" is typically more of a guy's name, it can sometimes feel to some that its a more masculine term. Although Jack can be a girl's name too, i.e. Mass Effect. However the idea of Jill of all trades for female, Jack for male, and even Jamie of all trades for neutral does sometimes help people anchor to it more.

Generalist - Too general, what are you known for?

To be honest while I've anchored myself to polymathic, there have been numerous times I've described MYSELF as a generalist. It is a term I do like, but that doesn't mean it does a good job explaining who you are.

Compared to polymath, which is someone who has 3 or more EXPERT level areas of expertise, the generalist is more of a medium level of expertise. While not as big of a range like JoAT, there is a bit of range with generalist. Earlier on might be a dozen or more areas, with a bit of expertise in there.

Between the range of "how many areas", let alone "how DEEP those areas are", both of those variables make it hard to describe what kind of generalist you are.

The Multidisciplinary Spectrum

This was created to showcase the range of terms that are out there, including more obscure ones too. That way if you already know what term you anchor to, then you can find it and see where you can go next.

Alternatively, let's say you know you are multidisciplinary, or know you want to be at least. Then you can count how many areas of knowledge you have currently, then map out based on the numbers to see where you land.

I do need to quantify each term before we get to that point, and that is something that is more subjective. I'll try to take a more logical based approach, but all of this is uncharted waters after all.

This picture is actually the main reason this post exists, which is why its the thumbnail too. I think I took the screenshot before the Polymath finished loading, but it should say 3 or more areas of deep level knowledge.

If you want a more expanded view, then here is a little bit old image of the full Spectrum:

I technically have updated this in 2026, but not by much. This is essentially the most recent version. Before I release the next one I want to "quantify" each term/moniker.

The point of this Spectrum was to motivate you to level up, not only if you may need to increase the number of areas, but also to deepen the areas you do have.

What should you do?

I didn't make this post to make anyone feel bad about where they are. I don't care if you're 20 or 80 years old. You could still be a generalist in the latter half of your life, but still also have the potential to become a polymath. There isn't a time limit, there isn't an "optimal window". I mean sure maybe its easier when you are younger, as you have time and energy.

However many people don't find success until they hit retirement age after all.

Just use this post, and the Spectrum, as a guide post to help you figure out your path!