One’s career development hinges on their capacity to grow and adapt to the changing needs of the business world, and it takes a motivated individual to capitalize on every learning opportunity that comes their way. However, everyone’s always left with one of two options, and that’s whether to specialize and pursue one field of expertise or to generalize and equip themselves with multiple relevant hard and soft skills.
Sadly, there’s not one single best answer because upward mobility and landing that promotion in a career is a lot more nuanced and settles in that gray area of “it depends.” And so, today, we’ll be going over the distinct advantages and disadvantages each side offers and how we should approach career development in our current context to get the most out of invested time and effort.
Each Side Carries Distinct Advantages
Career growth and development rely on your ability to create value given your skills, and both generalists and specialists have their unique methods of accomplishing this task. Each side carries distinct advantages that the other is unable to offer, and depending on the circumstance or associated career in question, one might see more utility in comparison.
- Generalists Create Value Through Multiple Competencies: The most noteworthy advantage generalists enjoy is their capacity to create value through multiple competencies. They aren’t just limited to one field because their skills enable them to tap different departments and facets of their respective industry, building bridges and connecting dots when needed. Furthermore, their interconnection with a great number of key stakeholders and skillsets allows them to solve more complex issues that cover multiple subjects and expertise.
- Specialists Create Value Through Technical Expertise: In contrast to generalists, specialists create value through their deep knowledge of one profession and skill, meaning that their advice and input alone boosts any project’s progress by miles. Specialists are also seen as top-level experts in their field, and when it comes to connections, people naturally search for them instead of having to make a move themselves. For example, a professional with an online Ph.D. in information technology are always in demand due to the increasing importance of IT.
However, They Also Meet Certain Shortfalls
Nevertheless, despite the advantages each opportunity offers, both also meet certain shortfalls that often make or break expectations in their career plan, creating some problems down the road. And while some gaps can be covered through extra hours and effort, not all issues can be overcome with hard work alone, regardless of whether you’re a generalist or a specialist.
- Generalists Lack Depth Of Knowledge: Although generalists can create value with their multitude of skills, this comes at the cost of having zero depth in any of the knowledge they possess. As a result, when the stakes are high and complex problems demand the technical know-how and workaround for a certain field, they fall face flat and are unable to provide anything of use. In addition to this, the lack of depth also prevents them from securing bigger positions that require specific skill requirements.
- Specialists Lack Flexibility In Careers: One of the main drawbacks of specializing in one field of expertise is the extreme lack of flexibility to pursue non-adjacent projects and other career options. And while that may not seem like an inherently bad feature, this also limits your usefulness in complex situations for that single task alone. Furthermore, given that the labor market is weighing between a rebound and plateau, being inflexible limits the jobs available for you.
So, Why Not Get The Best Of Both Worlds?
Sure, it may seem counterproductive trying to do both and maximizing the strengths of each, but getting the best of both worlds is actually possible if you know how to approach it properly. As a result, you transform into a “specialized generalist” that possesses the ability to create value in a multitude of ways without having to be held back by specific disadvantages present in generalists and specialists alone.
- Pursue One Main Skill, But Complement With Others: The best way to go about leveraging both strengths is by pursuing one main skill while complementing it with other relevant competencies. For example, a strong grasp of technical analysis and finances can be combined with excellent writing and public speaking to make you a better candidate as a senior financial analyst or fund manager.
- Don’t Forget A Positive And Appropriate Attitude: Likewise, while we’ve touch-based with multiple objective requirements, never forget that accomplishing said goals requires a positive and appropriate attitude as well. A change in mindset can help anyone get out of a career rut, and it can also boost your success in moving upward and landing a promotion.
Jack Of All Trades And A Master Of One.
Overall, today’s business landscape and labor market require both technical expertise and flexibility, so you want to become a jack of all trades and a master of one to improve your employability in the new normal. And instead of having to bear the drawbacks of one, you experience the advantages of both.
