Niharika Malviya, a LTU student, is interning with the Students Comms team. These are her reflections on how trying a bit of everything can feel uncertain at times – but also unexpectedly meaningful.
What if you’re good at everything… but not the best at anything?
Once, my tutor said to me,
“Niharika, you’re a jack of all trades – but have you mastered any one?”
I awkwardly laughed and moved on, not realising how much that line would stay with me.
At the time, it felt like one of those things you hear, think about briefly, and forget. Like advice that sounds important, but not immediately relevant.
Turns out, it became something I kept coming back to and it only got deeper over time.
Jack of all trades, but master of none,
Would it be better just knowing one?
Am I good at anything I’ve ever begun,
Or just trying everything for the fun?
It didn’t hit all at once. Just small moments. Quiet comparisons. Watching someone be really good at something and thinking – that’s impressive… and slightly inconvenient for my self-esteem.
Because when I looked at everything I’d tried, it all felt a bit scattered.
I used to be into art – something I was good at, something people noticed, but never something I took further. Singing was fun, but not something I stayed with long enough. I got into basketball for a while, then slowly retired (not officially – just by not putting in the effort).
And then there was dancing – something I’m actually good at. I perform, I enjoy it, and I keep coming back to it. Not because I have to, but because I want to.
I’m just… not the best at it.
Even academically, I’ve always been somewhere in the middle. Doing well, but not quite that student.
From where I stood, it felt like I was doing a bit of everything – but not really becoming anything.
What made it more confusing was how others saw it.
Because from the outside, it didn’t look like that at all.
People came to me for help. Friends opened up to me when they were struggling. Somehow, I became the “advice person” – which felt ironic, considering I’m still figuring things out myself.
And that made me pause.
Because while I was questioning what I was good at, others seemed to think I already had something.
Maybe that’s what being human is – you can have a bit of everything.
Maybe I’m not great at singing, but I’m a good listener.
Maybe I didn’t stick with basketball, but I learned how to show up when something mattered.
Maybe I’m not the best dancer, but I enjoy it – and maybe that counts for more than I thought.
Somewhere in between all of that, something shifted.
It reminded me of the movie 3 Idiots – how sometimes it’s not about being the best at something, but about genuinely enjoying what you do.
The doubt didn’t disappear completely.
But it stopped feeling like the whole story.
Because I started to realise that mastering something doesn’t just come from trying: it takes consistency, patience, and the willingness to stay.
And honestly, that’s something I’m still working on.
Maybe I just haven’t found that one thing I want to stick with long enough.
Or maybe I’m still figuring out if I even need to.
But for now, I think that’s okay.
Because not everything has to turn into something you master.
Some things can just be things you enjoy.
Things you try, experience, and carry with you – even if they don’t show up as results.
Jack of all trades, still mastering none,
But I’ve stopped feeling sorry – I’m learning, and life’s fun.