Why a T-Shaped Life Beats a T-Shaped Career

We’ve all heard the buzz about the T-Shaped Career. It’s the model companies love: you’ve got a broad skillset across many areas, but you’re also deep in one speciality. Makes sense for a CV. Employers like it. It’s a neat way to describe how you can dabble widely but really shine in one thing.

But here’s where I think the conversation’s stuck. A career is just one slice of your life. And if you only apply the T-shape to your work, you’re missing the bigger picture. What if instead, you used that same T-shape idea to design your actual life?

That’s where a T-Shaped Life comes in. It’s about building a foundation of breadth — travel, learning, creativity, health, connections — and pairing it with one or two things you dive deep into. It’s a way of living that keeps you interesting, gives you resilience when the world changes, and makes life a hell of a lot more enjoyable.

The Limitations of the T-Shaped Career

The T-Shaped Career came out of the 1990s consulting world and got picked up in tech. The horizontal bar was your general skills across areas like communication, teamwork, or a bit of design here and coding there. The vertical bar was your deep expertise, the thing you were known for.

It worked great in workplaces that wanted flexible people who weren’t locked into just one role. And it still has its place. But here’s the problem — careers aren’t as solid as they used to be. Industries vanish overnight. AI changes job roles faster than HR departments can update job descriptions. One deep speciality isn’t enough insurance anymore.

If your “T” only applies to your job, you’re basically putting your life in one basket. And when that basket breaks — you’re scrambling.

Why a T-Shaped Life Matters More

A T-Shaped Life goes way beyond the office. The horizontal bar is your wide set of experiences. Maybe you’ve lived overseas. Maybe you play music, dabble in photography, or can strike up a conversation in a market in Bali. It’s all the little things that make you human, layered and adaptable.

The vertical bar is your depth — the thing that anchors you. It might be your business, a craft you’ve honed, a philosophy you live by, or even a relationship you’ve invested decades into. It’s the part of you that gives meaning, not just income.

Put them together and you get a life that’s flexible yet grounded. When one thing wobbles — like a career change, health hiccup, or family shake-up — you’ve got a whole horizontal spread to lean on.

Breadth Creates Freedom

When you’ve built breadth in your life, you’re never stuck. I’ve met people in Bali who were lawyers back home but now run surf schools. Others who used to be accountants but now guide yoga retreats. On paper, their careers didn’t connect. But in life, the breadth of their experiences gave them the confidence and adaptability to switch lanes when they wanted to.

Breadth creates freedom. It means you’ve got a wider perspective. You’re not trapped in a bubble where the only conversations you can have are about quarterly reports or coding languages. You can connect with more people, see more opportunities, and pivot faster when the world shifts under your feet.

Depth Gives You Roots

But let’s not romanticise breadth without talking about depth. There’s a danger in being a mile wide and an inch deep — you risk becoming a dabbler, someone who skims but never masters. Depth matters because it grounds you.

Depth is what gives you authority. It’s what people come to you for. It’s the muscle memory in your craft, the reputation you’ve built, the philosophy you live by. Without depth, breadth is just distraction. With depth, breadth becomes strength.

How to Build a T-Shaped Life

So how do you shift from a career T-shape to a life T-shape? Here’s a way to think about it:

Step 1: Audit Your Horizontal Bar

Write down all the experiences, skills, and passions you’ve picked up over time. Don’t just think about work — include hobbies, travel, community roles, relationships, and random skills. That’s your horizontal line.

Step 2: Identify Your Vertical Bar

What’s the one thing you’ve gone deep on? It might be your profession, but it could also be your side hustle, a craft, or even a cause you’ve committed to. It’s the through-line in your life.

Step 3: Balance Them

If your horizontal feels too thin, start adding new experiences. Take up something you’ve always wanted to try. If your vertical feels shaky, double down on one area and build depth. Balance is what creates the strength.

My Own T-Shaped Life

For me, the horizontal bar has been travel, writing, tech, minimalism, and conversations with people from all walks of life. I’ve lived in Sydney, Bali, and a few places in between. I’ve explored ideas as diverse as Inbox Zero and sustainable tourism. That’s my spread.

My vertical? It’s simplifying tech and marketing — being the Internet Whisperer, the guy who translates geek-speak into everyday solutions. That’s been my deep dive for decades, and it anchors everything else.

Together, that T-shape has given me freedom. When one project ends, another begins. When industries shift, I can adapt. And most importantly, it makes life interesting.

Why It Matters for Gen X & Boomers

If you’re Gen X or a Boomer, this is especially relevant. You’ve already lived enough to build breadth. You’ve got stories, skills, and connections that younger generations can’t match. But the world is shifting fast. Relying on one deep career specialty isn’t enough anymore.

A T-Shaped Life lets you reframe your decades of experience into something that works now. You can pivot to side hustles, passion projects, or even semi-retirement without feeling lost. You’re not starting from scratch — you’re building from a strong horizontal line.

The Lifestyle Angle

And here’s the beautiful part — a T-Shaped Life isn’t about hustle culture or grinding harder. It’s about resilience and enjoyment. It’s about being able to relax knowing you’ve got options. It ties perfectly into my philosophy of “As Little As Possible, As Often As Possible.”

You don’t need to chase every opportunity or master every skill. You just need enough breadth to be flexible, and enough depth to stay grounded.

Bringing It All Together: Life Just Live It

The T-Shaped Career might still have a place on LinkedIn, but the T-Shaped Life is where the real freedom lies. Careers come and go, industries rise and fall, but a well-built life is resilient. It gives you options, depth, joy, and connection.

And at the end of the day, that’s what really matters.

You Might Like: Life Just Live It! https://LifeJustLiveIt.com