W6P1: Contextualizing Polymathy

To someone with polymathic tendencies, the idea of focusing in a single area feels like an impossibility—simply not an option—too uncomfortable

A polymath needs a variety of experiences to be happy, and if they cut out part of who they are, it feels like something is missing

several participants credited their polymathy, to some extent, to random encounters—chance meetings where opportunities presented themselves, and the polymath chose to pursue them, thus broadening their base of experiences, knowledge, and skills. Of course, accepting these opportunities involves a relatively high level of openness to experience.

In some ways, some polymaths’ identity was not something they thoughtfully created or even purposefully forged with forethought; it was dependent on meeting people who made introductions, opened doors, and planted seeds. But it also required an openness to pursue opportunities when they presented themselves. And so it appears that polymathy identity and the construct of openness to experience are, in fact, strongly linked.

the bottom line regarding polymathy identity is that it develops through social comparison, by not truly fitting in with any other single group.

Career preparation starts in school, and several polymaths talked about the disconnect between educational values in their youth, and career expectations in adulthood. A few different interviewees mentioned how confusing it was to be raised as a child who was encouraged to explore and try different things—to explore broadly, to then get to a certain point in their schooling – or be out of school – and feel pressure to pick one career area and specialize

critical thinking goes hand in hand with being polymathic, making connections across different parts of the brain.

In a study of polymaths, several participants reported having found ways to integrate their interests in both the arts and sciences/STEM into a unique career path

one of the great strengths that a polymath develops as a result of their polymathy is an ability to connect with many different types of people. The rationale participants gave for this was that essentially a polymath has a broad base of experience and knowledge, which makes it easier to find common ground with people,

Interviewed polymaths reported that job rotations to learn multiple skill sets is something that would appeal to them—and this is something that organizations might consider to attract and develop more polymaths. Job rotations would allow for the curiosity in polymaths to be satiated and for them to have a sense of continual learning and growth in their skill sets—something of value to a polymath or really anyone with a sense of curiosity or a growth mindset.

1. First, the impact of polymathy on one’s career trajectory is significant (whether positively or negatively)

2. Second, for polymaths, a narrow, focused, specialized career would not fit for them, though the idea of specialization is commonly the dominant message people hear about how to advance and succeed professionally. One respondent said that such a circumstance be “horrifying.” Even having to focus on the same type of task all day is something polymaths may try to avoid, preferring instead, variety. So, whether on a daily basis, or a career-long basis, variety is important for all polymaths.

3. Third, organizations who want to leverage the full skill set of polymaths should give them freedom, flexibility, and leeway in their work to allow the polymath to add value using their strengths. One person called it “unleashing” their talent on the job. Micromanaging was mentioned several times as something that a 125 polymath would have trouble dealing with and which would severely stunt the ability of a polymath to make the greatest contribution possible.

4. Four, polymaths who could not find the right job working for someone else often ends up creating their own job as an entrepreneur. To avoid workplace difficulties, a number of polymaths interviewed as part of this research became entrepreneurs in order to be able to combine their skill sets in unique ways, with some degree of freedom and autonomy. Becoming an entrepreneur is fraught with risk and challenges to overcome, though; it is not necessarily an easy route either. Others were able to find employers who give them enough flexibility in their roles to be able to enjoy the job enough to stay for a while. In fact, some interviewees were in jobs they were not happy in, and shared that they were looking for alternate employment opportunities.

Many different polymaths had parents who would actively teach their kids about various subjects or get involved if the child showed interest in learning about something in particular. In this way, parents sometimes took an active role in helping explore the child’s curiosity. In other cases, the parents simply allowed the child to explore independently.

If there is a single essence of polymathy, it would be that they are very strong learners. But more than just being capable of learning, they have an apparent appetite for it.

one way to improve the educational system would be to make subjects that are taught more interdisciplinary instead of being discrete stand-alone topics; making more connections between what a student is being taught would be useful in terms of helping gain a deeper level of understanding and breaking down the siloes between subject areas

Polymaths exhibit, overall, a deep curiosity and love of learning; much of this learning was self-directed.

Polymathy and learning are inseparable. And most of the time, there was no one to tell a polymath – especially as an adult—what to learn or how to learn it.

A phenomenological study by Angela Cotellessa revealed 13 themes consistent between polymaths
 1. Theme One: Polymaths Define Themselves as Experts Across Disparate Disciplines
 2. Theme Two: Polymath Identity Emerges from Not Fitting in A Box
 3. Theme Three: Being Polymathic Impacts One’s Social Experiences
 4. Theme Four: Polymaths Have Difficult Career Choices
 5. Theme Five: Financial Resources Can Both Hinder and Promote Polymathy
 6. Theme Six: Polymaths are Shaped by Their Families
 7. Theme Seven: Polymaths Are Voracious Learners
 8. Theme Eight: Polymaths are Quite Confident but May Also Experience “Imposter Syndrome”
 9. Theme Nine: Polymaths Self-Identify as Highly Creative
 10. Theme Ten: Polymaths Cannot Be Happy as Narrow Specialists
 11. Theme Eleven: Effective Polymaths are Effective Time Managers
 12. Theme Twelve: Polymathy is Due to Both Nature and Nurture but Polymathic Excellence Requires a Level of Effort and Attention