From my point of view, to specialize in one specific subject is better than to have a broad knowledge of many academic subjects. Since we have not been living in a Communist society, it is essential for us to earn a living. To do this, being an expert is more probable than being a jack of all things.
I myself is a precise example of my argument. Though major in computer science as an undergraduate, I didn’t learn much of it and as a result, I was not able to find a decent job. So far, I have been working in a dull, old state-owned company and have a low salary. Why? Because I am not an expert of any kind but an ordinary clerk that can be easily substituted.
Today is an era of knowledge expansion, which means ever more knowledge is discovered day by day. If you want to have a broad intellect of many academic subjects, can you keep the pace of the development of knowledge? The possible result is that you think yourself to be an erudite person but you just dip here and there, only having some basic knowledge or common sense of subjects. With this kind of so-called broad knowledge, you will just become loud-mouthed in a party but no more.
We all know the story of the famous racing driver and writer, Hanhan, who was devoted to literature when he was a boy and deprecated other subjects. He became a writer at an early age and refused to be enrolled in a university after having won a prize in a composition contest. But he published several bestselling books, which laid the money foundation for him to pursue a racing driver dream. Then he was absorbed in the business of racing car and won many champions so far. In recent years, he returned to the realm of culture and made two movies. I am not saying he is a man of broad knowledge, but regarding him as someone who always aims at one thing at a time, that is the reason of his success.
In a word, I strongly recommend young people to try hard making themselves experts. Only by doing this can you become talents that are successful in your life.
