“Would you like to be a specialist or generalist in your field?” - That’s the question many people get asked in their careers.
Well, no matter what career you opt for, what kind of field you are specializing in, to navigate the world and daily life smartly, you get a decent hand at general knowledge.
What exactly is general knowledge?
While general knowledge means different things to different people. There is no standard definition of general knowledge. Yet if we define “general knowledge,” we would say that general knowledge means being knowledgeable about what’s going on in your surroundings, your city, country, the world, and a broad range of subjects and current affairs.
For example, if we ask you, “Tell us how many wonders are there in the world and which one of them is in India.”
We expect you to know the answer. Why? Because this is a widely popular public knowledge given to every student in school.
Another example would be, “How many Corona cases are there in India right now?”
Now, you may or may not know the answer to this question. It will depend on how often you read newspaper and news articles related to what’s going on in the country and affairs of the world.
Based on their reading interests, activities people pursue, and what they choose to do in their free time, different people have different levels of general knowledge, which also constitutes overall intelligence.
We must mention that specialized knowledge is not a part of general knowledge. For instance, if you pursue a course in hotel management, then your knowledge in hotel management will not be regarded as your general knowledge because hotel management will be your profession. But for a doctor, for instance, having knowledge of hotel management will be considered their general knowledge.
In this article, we will explore why general knowledge is essential, not only in your career but also in life. Let’s go.
What is the importance of general knowledge?
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“General knowledge may have to be slight or even amateurish knowledge, but it is nonetheless useful, and we discourage it at our peril.”
— C. V. Wedgwood |
General knowledge or GK plays a decent role in your success in life and career. How is so? Well, on that, let us make our points on the importance of general knowledge to help you understand better:
General knowledge improves your communication and public skills
Starting a conversation, especially with strangers, can be tricky. When you meet new people at work, at parties, or family gatherings, there are awkward moments of silence. Being aware of multiple things going on in the world gives you the confidence to start a small talk and get the chat going from there.
For example, say there was a match last day, and you know how India performed. Now, while meeting someone, you can start a conversation on the previous day’s match. And once the conversation begins, it’s really easy to follow.
With sound general knowledge, interacting with the public and new faces will be a breeze for you, really. And you know what, people will love you for being a “silence-breaker!”
You will sound smarter, confident, and more impressive
Imagine you are talking to someone in your class about startups in India, and there you say: “Oh, yesterday I read that Open Money has become India’s 100th Unicorn! I was so glad to hear about India’s Unicorn century. That’s really worth celebrating.”
Won’t that impress your friends and classmates? It will for sure. It shows your general awareness and makes an impression on people that you are so much more than your career or work. Knowledge and intelligence are respected, always.
You will perform better in school, college, and at work
General knowledge adds lots of perspective to your understanding of different things. Whenever you work on an assignment at school or college or a project or presentation at work, your general knowledge is reflected in your work.
For example, you get an assignment during your hotel management course to prepare a presentation on “Bartending & Flaring.” And you happened to recently watch a video on a similar topic by UEI Global Hospitality Management Institute because of your interest in the subject. Say this is the video you watched:
{{Video embed (UEI Global): Bartending & Flaring https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IjiB8qYUjmk}}
The general knowledge about “Bartending & Flaring” that you gathered from the above video will surely help you make a better presentation. That’s how GK works!
Having better general knowledge is like having a cherry on top of whatever you do. It helps you stand out from the rest of the people of the same race. It’s what makes you different.
You’ll make informed views, opinions, and better decisions
How your views and opinions are formed? How do you make your decisions? It all depends on what you have been feeding to your mind, what you know, and what information and knowledge you have stored in your brain - Your overall understanding.
General knowledge makes you knowledgeable not in one field but various domains and subjects. GK makes you a more informed person. GK helps you make your opinions based on reality and facts and not be blind. And when you make any decision in your life, all of these things come together to help you make a sound decision.
For example, consider a 12th-class student boy who does not know any career domains other than being a doctor, lawyer, or engineer. For a moment, let’s assume he has no idea about any other career options available out there. Now, think about this: “Will he be able to make a good career choice for himself?”
“No,” you would say. Why? Well, because that boy has no general knowledge about multiple career streams available right now. And that will lead to uninformed and perhaps a wrong decision too.
You’ll always be full of ideas, creativity, and inspiration
“Ideas fuel other ideas. Creativity inspires more creativity.” Maybe you have heard this phrase.
When you read, watch, or listen to knowledge stuff, you get to know stories of different people doing a bunch of creative things. You get to explore the latest trends and innovations going on in the world.
Harvard Business Review article Train Your Brain to Be More Creative recommended: “Connect with different kinds of people: Diversity makes the brain work harder, by challenging stereotypes.”
Acquiring general knowledge inspires your brain to be more creative, think in ways you never thought possible before, and come up with your own ideas. The need to be creative in life makes general knowledge even more vital.
The bottom line: General knowledge makes you better at everything you do
No matter how many points we make on the importance of general knowledge, the fact is that we can never state it enough. Though, by now, we believe that you must have realized the importance of general knowledge. General knowledge is vital to succeeding as a person as well as a professional and smartly navigating your daily life.
Whatever profession or work field you are into, ensure to devote some of your daily time to keep building your general knowledge. Some of the ways you can grow your GK are by reading newspapers and magazines, watching documentaries, having intellectual discussions with people around you, and getting to know and explore new things. And rest assured, your GK will take you to new heights.