“I’m a Jack of All Trades.” And That’s What Made Him So Powerful. — The Engineer Who Went Beyond Full-Stack

 “Wait… Who is this guy?”

This time, I joined a project to adapt a system from the UK for use in Japan.

There were two key members on the Japanese side.

One was a Japanese engineer who was completely fluent in English.
The other was a British engineer who could speak a little Japanese.

At first, I thought of him simply as someone who provided technical support.

But as I talked with him, I began to notice something unusual.

Japanese business experts would go directly to him with questions.

When a system engineer asked a question, he would say, “Okay, let’s run this script,” and handle it right there.

He could also explain the database structure and teach us about the network.

“Who is this guy?”

And it wasn’t just systems.

He understood the business.
He understood English.
He understood the situation in Japan.
He understood databases and networks.

And when I heard that his annual income was over ¥10 million, I thought:

Yes, this really is beyond full-stack.

But His Own Words Were Unexpected

“You’re amazing. You can do everything.”

When I said that to him, he smiled slightly and replied:

“No, I’m just a jack of all trades. It’s actually pretty tough.”

Those words stayed with me.

Because the job really wasn’t easy.

Suddenly, instructions would come from the UK.

“Please change the Japanese system according to this specification.”

But when questions came from the business side and were sent to the UK, answers didn’t always come back immediately.

Of course, there was a reason.

There was a time difference between Japan and the UK.

As afternoon turned into evening in Japan, the work with the UK team would really begin.

Meetings from evening into night.

And at the same time, there were other meetings starting in the morning in Japan.

And it wasn’t simply about interpreting.

He had to understand the business intent and translate it into system requirements.

He had to take technical explanations from the UK and turn them into something the Japanese team could understand.

When necessary, he would investigate the issue himself, run scripts, and even check the database and network.

“Systems, business, analysis, implementation, interpretation… I’m a jack of all trades.”

That was how he described himself.

Being Able to Do Everything Is Actually Hard

Watching him, I realized something.

The more capable people become, the more they tend to cross the boundaries of their job descriptions.

“I’m responsible for systems, so I don’t know about that.”

Saying that might make your job easier.

But when you are truly trying to solve the problem in front of you, it doesn’t work that way.

You need to understand the business.
You need to understand the system.
You need to understand the data.
You need to understand the network.
You need to connect people.
And ultimately, you need to get your own hands dirty.

The word “specialist” is no longer enough to describe someone like that.

Beyond Full-Stack

There is a common idea that you need to become a specialist.

Of course, expertise is important.

But in the world of DX, people who understand the spaces between different areas can create tremendous value.

It’s okay to be a system engineer who understands systems as a whole.

Someone who understands business.
Understands technology.
Understands implementation.
And can connect people.

A “jack of all trades” like that is actually incredibly powerful.

But behind that strength, there are also struggles that other people don’t see.

Even so, I thought he looked incredibly cool.

It was another moment when I found someone I could aspire to become.

I want to keep learning enough to understand many different areas myself.

To go beyond the boundaries of being a specialist—and become someone who can solve a problem all the way to the end.

I can do it! I’ll take the first step tomorrow.