Jack of All Trades or a Master of One? Generalist or Specialist?

Jack of All Trades or a Master of One? Generalist or Specialist?

Generalist or Specialist?

How you manage your career depends on whether you are a generalist or specialist.

When I started my career in the 1970s, large corporations valued generalists. In my 22 years of working for IBM, they let me take a variety of career paths. It also suited my personality, because I have a lot of varied interests. After a few years in a job, I would get bored and wanted to do something new.

IBM allowed me to work with a lot of leading-edge technologies that are still around today. Some of these included:

  • Word Processors – I worked with early word processors even before the IBM PC was released.
  • 3D printing – I was working with early 3D printers in 1989.
  • HTML and Internet Applications – I was designing Internet applications in the 1990s, long before it was common.
  • Advanced Router Design – When I left IBM in 2000, I developed curriculum to teach major equipment manufactures how to design next generation routers and switches.
  • High Definition Video – In 2007, after spending a couple years teaching high school math and working in the non-profit arena, I went to work for a HD video conferencing start up developing a training and certification program.

I am a generalist. I have enjoyed working with a lot of different technologies and methodologies. My challenge was that I got bored about every three years and wanted to move on to something different.

(More: What If You Are Not Passionate About Anything?)

Specialists Rule

A fundamental shift started about twenty years ago. As technological change sped up, the need for specialists increased. Starting in the mid 1990s, I saw many move on to become specialists—and they were generously rewarded…for awhile. If you developed skills and became a specialist in an area that was in the early adoption phase, you could make a lot of money, again, for awhile. That was only true until others developed those same skills. The key was to identify correctly which skills would be desirable to have a year or two ahead of the demand.

This is easy to see in the world of technology, but does it apply elsewhere? YES!

In the world of Human Resources, you could be a generalist or a specialist in recruiting, compensation, benefit programs, diversity, HR IT, etc…

In the world of sales, you could be a generalist or a specialist in B2B or B2C, Internet sales, Channel sales, etc…

The challenge is that, if you are a specialist, your skills may not be valued in 5, 10 or 15 years. Let me give a few examples of skills that have become obsolete:

  • Experts in direct mail (snail mail) marketing – With the exception of credit card offers, what industries still market through direct mail?
  • Travel agents – When was the last time you talked to a travel agent? Fifteen years ago, this was still a valued skill.
  • Specialists in the complex process of laying out news print for your daily newspaper – When did you last pick up a paper newspaper?
  • Photo-Journalists – Why have photo-journalists when everyone has a camera?

These were all valued skills just a few years ago.

(More: Talents versus Skills – Do you know the difference?)

What if I am a Generalist?

Generalists are typically more valued in smaller organizations. Small organizations typically cannot afford to hire a lot of specialists. I have a client who is a marketing generalist. She like to write press releases, e-mail marketing, social media, direct mail, creation of collateral,….. You will be more valued in smaller organizations who need their employees to wear a lot of hats.

What if I am a Specialist?

Specialists need to stay on top of their areas of expertise and be willing to move when their expertise becomes a commodity or obsolete. This requires vigilance and the willingness to move with industry trends. You must be aware of disruptive trends in your industry.

(More: Career Reinvention – A Model for Change )

Examples of Disruption

Taxi and Limousine Services – Will Lyft, Uber, Sidecar or even Google’s Driverless car make these businesses obsolete?

Local Television News – When did you last watch the evening news? The local news programs are still around, but will they be in ten years?

Cable Television – Why have cable television service when there is Netflix, Hulu, etc?

Facebook Marketing – Will Facebook be relevant in 10 years? It did not exist 10 years ago and may not be relevant in another 10 years.

Give it some thought.

Are you a generalist or specialist?

Are you prepared for disruptive change that is coming?

Are You a Generalist of Specialist? was originally posted in October of 2014 on the Career Pivot blog.

Marc Miller is the founder of Career Pivot, which helps Baby Boomers and others design careers they can grow into for the next 30 years. You can follow Marc on Twitter or Facebook.

Marc authored the book “Repurpose Your Career: A Practical Guide for Baby Boomers.”

You sound like to #Multipotentialite Marc Miller

Like
Reply
James Lenihan

Chief Executive Officer, TreasuryPros

9y

Marc, no matter what you choose to do in life, you need to be a master of at least one thing. Money.

Like
Reply
Carla Notarianni, MS

Order out of Chaos Everyday!

9y

"Are you prepared for disruptive change that is coming?" This is a rhetorical question, right? When in the past 20 years in IT has there not been a period of "disruptive" change all around us? This change has those of us who are NOT ensconced in an organizational legacy structure at some company being constantly batted around like mice on a yearly basis. Duh, welcome to reality its been here for a while now. Being prepared for disruptive change requires two things - surrender that it is inevitable and trust that at the core of your professional tool box, you are skilled at being nimble and good at one thing - LEARNING how to navigate the rocky waters without doubting who you are or what good transferable skills you bring to the table. What your job title is doesn't define what you do anymore. And that is my truth and I am sticking to it. Be strong fellow workers and don't look at your job title - it was written by ppl who don't know how to do your job in a company who can't focus long enough to decide what to have for lunch in 15 minutes. What a ride!

Like
Reply
Laurie Rose

Business Analyst, ACSPO, DAP Solution Engineer

9y

I have always referred to myself as a specialist regarding all my software app-related skills: training /education, documentation /tech writing, administration - not to mention data mining and analysis - because I am like some software savant sponge. But this article has me rethinking: perhaps I am a generalist, after all. Like others here, I see these two buckets, "generalist" and specialist"; as potentially limiting - to both the employee and the employer. From this moment on, I shall refer to myself as a general specialist ...or should that be special generalist?...

Like
Reply

To view or add a comment, sign in

Insights from the community

Explore topics