As I sit in a typical minimalist hipster coffee shop, this question always pops up in my head. I think this question is a cool discussion maker, when I first heard it I talked to two people who inspire me to constantly push myself out of my comfortability in content marketing.
Would you rather be a jack of all trades or a master of one? -Santiago
I remember being asked that and then I started asking myself which one I would rather be. I began to list the pros and cons and I will get to that later. The question worried me because my personality, I want to be the best at everything I take on and I realize I can’t be the best at everything I do.
First, what is a generalist and what is a specialist?
The term generalist according to Merriam-Webster is “one whose skills, interests or habits are varied or unspecialized.”
The term specialist according to Merriam-Webster is “ one who specializes in a particular occupation, practice, or field of study.”
The generalists are typically known as the jack of all trades, we understand a wide variety of topics. The specialist, on the other hand, is the expert in his/her respective field.
There are times where specialists are needed, same with generalists. Surgery would be one where a specialist is needed. If I have to have heart surgery, for me I would prefer someone who specializes in performing heart surgery. I don’t want someone who is a dentist, personal trainer and a heart surgeon to perform my surgery.
To me; I have found being a generalist has helped me land jobs that I typically wouldn’t have got if I was a specialist. Being a generalist is beneficial to me if you are a freelancer.
Pros of being a Generalist:
- Knowledge in a wide range of fields that interconnects different people while solving complex issues.
- Can help see the bigger picture and come up with a multitude of ideas that benefit as a whole.
- Career Flexibility- you have a broader understanding of a subject and you can use your tools to help you grow and succeed.
To me overall generalist have more transferable skills. Generalists have a wider option for there future and can go through multiple fields and can find mutiple different career paths.
Cons of being a generalist:
- sacrificing depth for breadth- would rather obtain knowledge in a wide variety of topics rather than hone in on one thing.
- looser defined roles in work. Job security might suffer.
- miss valuable info during problem solving.
There are a lot more but here are a few that stood out to me when I’m thinking about a generalist. Time for some Pros and Cons of being a Specialist.
Pros:
- More money, specializing in any field takes longer, and the positions get narrowed means the salaries are higher.
- gained knowledge in a specific subject. This is difficult for me to just stay in one area of study so props to you guys.
- True thought Leader; you are passionate about your subject. You hone in on your craft and you own it. You become the expert.
Cons:
-Career inflexibility; you’ve narrowed your focus on one subject.
-Finding positions are a lot tougher. You’re searching for something specific. It can be very difficult.
- You aren’t totally narrowed to one specific job title but opportunities are harder to find.
Evan, What if you’re both?
That’s a great question. I would say I am both with my specialist coming with photography and general in digital media. For me I would say I’m a generalizing specialist.
I am working on being more of a speicalist and not so much of a generalist. Being a type 7 on the ennegram is kind of tough to do that though, for me I’m interested in a lot of things and want to master everything I take on. Whether it is running, social media, photography, marketing, etc… That’s just my personality.
The appeal to both types is very easy. When looking for a career or figure out what you want to do in life, take this for thought. Do you want to be a generalist or specialist?
Thank you guys for reading this post, I would love to discuss more about being a Generalist or Specialist, please contact me. You can follow me on Instagram or Twitter. I would love to discuss more with you.
