A jack of all trades knows a little about a lot of subjects, but their specific knowledge is how to do stuff. Carpentry, metal working, mining,lock picking, cooking, playing music, a jack of all trades might be able to do all of those things.
Of course, the jack of all trades is master of none. They may be able to do much, but they simply aren't the best at any of them.
Historically speaking, a jack is a real thing. They were also known as knaves. The term meant a boy or male servant, but was eventually broadened over time to be more synonymous with a peasant or a rogue. Therefore, if you were a guy who wandered from town to town, picking up odd jobs, and learning how to do this and that to get by, then you were a jack of all trades.
The jack of all trades is similarly useful in stories to the bard, though they are more likely to be the main protagonist than the bard is.
This is a fun character to work with. You never know what they might be able to do, so it's exciting. The two major things to make sure is that these characters can't do literally anything (nobody has really done it all), and that they aren't the best at what they do (because that would just be unfair). Remember that everybody fails sometimes. It is that risk of failure that makes success exciting.
The jack of all trades has an increased chance of being able to help in a situation, but less likely to succeed at it. They still balance out, so it's ok, but it keeps you interested in what works and what doesn't, which keeps you turning the pages.
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