The singularity focus of your career—one label defining you—has to go. Multi-dimensional people survive.
AI is coming for people whose identity is tied to one specific role. The "I'm a software engineer" or "I'm an accountant" or "I'm a data scientist" identity creates a single point of failure.
When that role changes or disappears, who are you?
Here's why singularity thinking is fragile—and how to build the multi-plural capabilities that make you antifragile instead.
What Singularity Means (And Why It's Everywhere)
Singularity career focus: One thing defining everything.
Common examples:
- "I'm a software engineer" (10 years of React, that's my whole professional identity)
- "I'm an accountant" (CPA certification, tax preparation, nothing else matters)
- "I'm a data scientist" (college → analytics role → career → life defined by data)
- "I'm a marketing manager" (campaigns and metrics, that's who I am professionally)
The pattern: One skill, one role, one identity. Everything else becomes secondary or irrelevant.
Why this feels safe:
- Clear career progression path
- Expertise depth creates job security (seemingly)
- Industry recognition and professional community
- Simple answer to "what do you do?"
Why it's actually dangerous: "AI is coming for the singularity focus of people, whereas your identity is tied up with that specific role of what you have become."**
Why Singularity Is Fragile
If one thing defines you, you're vulnerable to:
AI Automating That Thing
- Software engineers: AI writes code faster and often better
- Content writers: AI generates articles, marketing copy, documentation
- Data analysts: AI processes data and generates insights automatically
- Graphic designers: AI creates designs, logos, and visual content
The singularity trap: When your one skill gets automated, your entire professional identity disappears.
Market Changes in That Thing
- Print journalists: Industry consolidation and digital disruption
- Travel agents: Online booking platforms eliminated most roles
- Retail managers: E-commerce reduced physical retail footprint
- Financial advisors: Robo-advisors handle basic portfolio management
The singularity trap: When your industry changes, you have no adjacent skills to pivot to.
Burnout in That Thing
- Doctors: 40% burnout rate but identity prevents career exploration
- Lawyers: High stress but "I'm a lawyer" identity blocks other options
- Investment bankers: Exhaustion but golden handcuffs and identity lock-in
- Teachers: Burnout but "calling" identity makes leaving feel like failure
The singularity trap: When you burn out on your identity, you feel like you're burning out on yourself.
Boredom with That Thing
- Senior developers: After 15 years, coding becomes routine but identity prevents exploration
- Marketing managers: Campaigns become repetitive but "marketer" identity limits growth
- Operations managers: Process optimization gets stale but role identity creates inertia
The singularity trap: When your one thing becomes boring, you become professionally stagnant but can't see alternatives.
You have one point of failure. When it fails, everything fails.
The Death of the "Defined by College" Path
"Four years or five years of college, and then after that, the remainder of your life, 50 years, 60 years, 70 years, you're defined by those four years."
The old model that's breaking down:
Age 18: Choose college major (computer science, business, psychology) Age 22: Graduate, get job related to major Age 25-65: Career defined entirely by that initial choice Result: One decision made at 18 determines 50+ years of professional identity
Examples of this tragic waste:
The Computer Science Graduate (2005):
- Chose CS because "technology is the future"
- Became Java developer, then senior engineer, then architect
- 18 years later: Burned out on coding, but "I'm a software engineer" identity prevents exploration
- Missed opportunities in product management, business strategy, entrepreneurship
The Business Major (2010):
- Chose business for "job security and good salary"
- Became marketing coordinator, then manager, then director
- 13 years later: Bored with campaigns, but "I'm a marketer" identity limits growth
- Never explored technical skills, creative pursuits, or strategic consulting
The Psychology Major (2000):
- Chose psychology to "help people"
- Became therapist, built private practice
- 23 years later: Successful but feels constrained by "therapist" identity
- Interested in business, technology, writing but feels like changing would betray calling
"That is a bit wasteful, in my opinion."
The waste isn't the education. It's the identity prison that follows.
The Multi-Plural Alternative
"The rebirth of routes. It is the multi-plural routes of where people can explore new things, take ownership of things, and have multiple skills instead of just one."
Instead of singularity identity:
Not: "I'm a software engineer" But: "I'm someone who can build software, communicate technical concepts clearly, understand business requirements, and learn new technologies quickly"
Not: "I'm an accountant" But: "I'm someone who understands financial systems, can analyze business operations, work with complex regulations, and help organizations make better decisions"
Not: "I'm a marketing manager" But: "I'm someone who understands customer psychology, can create compelling messages, analyze campaign performance, and build relationships across different audiences"
The difference: Identity based on capabilities portfolio rather than job title singularity.
Real Examples of Multi-Plural Success
Example 1: The Multi-Dimensional Developer
Singularity version: Senior React Developer, 8 years experience, expert in front-end frameworks
Multi-plural version:
- Technical capability: Can build full-stack applications
- Communication capability: Explains technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders
- Product capability: Understands user experience and business requirements
- Learning capability: Adapts quickly to new frameworks and technologies
- Leadership capability: Mentors junior developers and facilitates technical discussions
Result: When AI automates routine coding, becomes technical product manager, startup CTO, or developer relations expert. Has multiple career paths instead of single dependency.
Example 2: The Multi-Faceted Marketer
Singularity version: Digital Marketing Manager, 6 years experience, expert in Facebook and Google Ads
Multi-plural version:
- Psychology capability: Understands customer behavior and decision-making
- Analytics capability: Interprets data and optimizes based on metrics
- Creative capability: Develops compelling messages and content strategies
- Technical capability: Understands marketing automation and basic web development
- Business capability: Connects marketing activities to revenue and business outcomes
Result: When AI automates campaign creation and optimization, becomes growth strategist, customer research expert, or product marketing leader. Not dependent on specific marketing tools.
Example 3: The Multi-Skilled Consultant
Singularity version: Management Consultant, 10 years experience, expert in operational efficiency
Multi-plural version:
- Analysis capability: Breaks down complex business problems systematically
- Communication capability: Presents recommendations clearly to senior executives
- Implementation capability: Manages change processes and stakeholder coordination
- Industry capability: Understands multiple industry contexts and challenges
- Technology capability: Leverages tools and systems to solve business problems
Result: Can transition to internal operations roles, startup advisory, technology implementation, or independent consulting across multiple domains.
How to Break the Singularity Wall
Step 1: Stop Defining Yourself by Job Title
Instead of: "I'm a software engineer" Practice: "I build software solutions for business problems"
Instead of: "I'm a marketing manager" Practice: "I help companies understand and reach their customers"
Instead of: "I'm a financial analyst" Practice: "I use data to help organizations make better financial decisions"
If you're finding this useful, I send essays like this 2-3x per week.
·No spam
The reframe: Focus on what you accomplish, not what you're called.
Step 2: Audit Your Actual Capabilities
List what you're actually good at beyond your job title:
Technical skills: What tools, technologies, or methods do you know? Communication skills: How do you explain, persuade, or teach? Analysis skills: How do you break down problems or interpret information? Relationship skills: How do you work with different types of people? Learning skills: How do you acquire new knowledge or adapt to change?
Example audit for "Marketing Manager":
- Technical: Google Analytics, email automation, basic HTML/CSS
- Communication: Write compelling copy, present to executives, facilitate meetings
- Analysis: Interpret campaign data, identify customer behavior patterns
- Relationship: Coordinate across sales, product, and customer success teams
- Learning: Stay current with new marketing channels and tools
Insight: You have 15+ capabilities beyond "marketing." Any of these could become career paths.
Step 3: Explore Adjacent Skills
Identify skills that complement your existing capabilities:
For developers: Product management, user experience, technical writing, developer relations For marketers: Data analysis, customer research, product marketing, growth operations For consultants: Project management, change management, industry specialization, technology implementation
The principle: Build skills that leverage your existing knowledge but open new career possibilities.
Step 4: Build Proof of Multiple Capabilities
Create evidence that you're more than your job title:
Content creation: Write about topics beyond your specific role Side projects: Build things that demonstrate different capabilities Cross-functional work: Volunteer for projects outside your department Teaching/speaking: Share knowledge in areas beyond your narrow expertise
Example: Software engineer building multi-plural proof:
- Blog: Write about product strategy and user experience, not just code
- Side project: Build and launch complete product, demonstrating business and marketing skills
- Internal work: Lead cross-functional projects involving sales and customer success
- Speaking: Present at business conferences, not just technical meetups
Step 5: Reframe Your Job as One Piece, Not the Whole
Your current role becomes:
- One way you create value (not the only way)
- One context for developing capabilities (not your complete identity)
- One chapter in your career story (not the entire book)
Mental model shift:
- Old: "I am my job title"
- New: "I have a job that uses some of my capabilities"
The AI Acceleration Factor
AI makes multi-plural thinking more important, not less:
AI Commoditizes Singular Skills Faster
What AI does well: Specific, defined tasks in narrow domains What AI doesn't do well: Cross-domain thinking, context switching, relationship building
If you're defined by one specific skill, AI replaces you. If you combine multiple capabilities, AI amplifies you.
AI Rewards Generalist Thinking
The future advantage: People who can use AI effectively across multiple domains The vulnerability: Specialists who can only apply AI in narrow contexts
Example: Multi-plural developer in AI era:
- Uses AI to code faster (technical capability)
- Directs AI toward better user experiences (product capability)
- Explains AI capabilities to business stakeholders (communication capability)
- Identifies business problems where AI solutions make sense (strategic capability)
Single-skill developer: Only uses AI to code faster, still limited to coding role
AI Creates New Multi-Skill Opportunities
Emerging roles require multi-plural thinking:
- AI Product Manager: Technical understanding + product strategy + customer insight
- AI Business Analyst: Domain knowledge + data analysis + AI tool proficiency
- AI Implementation Consultant: Industry expertise + change management + technical integration
These roles didn't exist before but require combination of previously separate capabilities.
The Practical Transition Plan
Month 1: Identity Audit
Week 1: Stop introducing yourself by job title for one week Week 2: List all capabilities you have beyond your current role Week 3: Identify adjacent skills you could develop Week 4: Find examples of people successfully combining your capabilities
Month 2-3: Capability Building
Choose 2-3 adjacent skills to develop:
- Online courses: Learn complementary skills at your own pace
- Internal projects: Volunteer for cross-functional initiatives
- Side projects: Build something that demonstrates new capabilities
- Reading/research: Understand industries and domains beyond your specialty
Month 4-6: Proof Creation
Build evidence of multi-plural capabilities:
- Content: Write or speak about topics beyond your job function
- Network: Connect with people in adjacent roles and industries
- Projects: Complete initiatives that demonstrate multiple skills
- Results: Track outcomes that show value creation beyond single skill
Month 7-12: Multi-Plural Integration
Begin operating as multi-plural professional:
- Career conversations: Discuss growth opportunities that leverage multiple capabilities
- External opportunities: Explore roles, consulting, or projects that use capability portfolio
- Skill development: Continue building new capabilities while maintaining existing strengths
- Network expansion: Build relationships across multiple professional communities
What Success Looks Like
The End State Identity
"I don't think you're defined by a single label as a software engineer, founder, marketer, content creator, et cetera. You're not all that. You are something else."
The "something else" is:
- The sum of your pieces (not just one piece)
- Your unique combination (what no one else has exactly)
- What AI can't replicate (human judgment across multiple domains)
- What creates distinctive value (capability portfolio, not singular expertise)
Multi-Plural Career Patterns
The Portfolio Career: Multiple income streams from different capabilities - consulting, teaching, building, advising
The Cross-Functional Leader: Management roles that require understanding multiple business domains
The Strategic Generalist: Roles that require broad knowledge and ability to connect across specialties
The AI-Human Hybrid: Positions that combine AI leverage with human judgment across multiple domains
The Entrepreneurial Professional: Building businesses that leverage multiple personal capabilities rather than single expertise
Common Objections (And Why They're Wrong)
"But specialization creates competitive advantage"
The response:
- Specialization worked when skills were scarce and roles were stable
- AI is commoditizing most specialist knowledge
- Competitive advantage now comes from unique capability combinations
- Deep expertise in one area + broad competence in several areas = most valuable
"I don't have time to develop multiple skills"
The response:
- You don't have time NOT to develop multiple skills if you want career resilience
- Start with adjacent capabilities that build on existing knowledge
- Many skills can be developed through current work with intentional focus
- Investment in capability portfolio pays dividends for decades
"Jack of all trades, master of none"
The response:
- Full quote: "Jack of all trades, master of none, though oftentimes better than master of one"
- AI makes mastery of single skills less valuable, combination skills more valuable
- Better to be competent across multiple domains than expert in one that becomes obsolete
- Multi-plural doesn't mean shallow - it means strategic breadth plus selective depth
"My industry rewards deep specialization"
The response:
- Your industry might reward specialization today but may not tomorrow
- AI is disrupting all industries, not just technology
- Building multi-plural capabilities provides insurance against industry changes
- Even within specialized industries, leadership requires cross-functional understanding
The Stakes
The singularity wall isn't just a career limitation. It's an existential risk.
If one thing defines you professionally:
- You're vulnerable to AI, market changes, burnout, and boredom
- You have limited options when you need to pivot
- Your value proposition becomes commoditized over time
- You become replaceable rather than irreplaceable
If you develop multi-plural capabilities:
- You're antifragile to individual skill disruption
- You can pivot and adapt as opportunities emerge
- Your value proposition becomes unique combination rather than single skill
- You become more valuable over time as you integrate more capabilities
The choice: Remain fragile to single point of failure, or become antifragile through capability portfolio.
The timeline: Career changes that used to take decades now happen in years. Skills that seemed permanent become obsolete quickly. Identity tied to single capability becomes liability.
The opportunity: Break the singularity wall now, while you have time to build multi-plural capabilities before AI forces the transition.