Generalist Vs Specialist: How To Pick To Be Successful

A generalist. He who knows the ropes in many things. A specialist. He who is an expert at one thing. Who could win in our achievement-striving, fast-paced, adaptation-driven world? Which one should you be? Why? These are just a few of the queries I’ll aim to answer. Maybe you’ve been doing it wrong. Perhaps your unconventionality will have paid off. Remember: change is available. Be open-minded.

Defining Generalists and Specialists

A generalist is someone competent at a lot of things. As the saying goes, “Jack of all trades, master of none.” Physicians that provide general care over being medical specialists—such as a general practitioner or family doctor—are examples of “formal” generalists. Speaking of generalists, you are also bound to run into multipotentialities—people with exceptional interest and talent in two or more fields—philomaths—people who love learning—and polymaths—people whose knowledge spans numerous subjects. A generalist holds many skillsets and can perform various jobs.

A specialist is someone competent at a thing. An expert. Someone devoted to some specific branch of study or research. They are highly skilled in their field and concentrate primarily on activities related to it. Much of their lives is spent advancing their knowledge in one role to become masters in their field. Wizards in one career. These people delight in routine and are dedicated toward a narrow direction within a field. Ask a specialist about anything unrelated to their know-how, and you might be flabbergasted at how empty they are. Our education system is built around specialists. Society drives us to niche down.

Good At Many Things Or Great At One Thing?

But which is really better? Is the jedi master—the singer, Olympian, rock star, or brain surgeon—at the pinnacle of specialization, better? Is the diversity of the generalist enough to triumph? Specialists have a deep interest in the finer details of their particular niche. They seek to understand all the angles in their area. Generalists see problems from a bird’s eye view. They understand the puzzle, even if not entirely sure about how each piece functions individually.

It need be said why specialization dominates the education system—the outdated and unoptimized education system. Back to the history of hiring. The typical career path used to look straight. But today’s career paths are not. Specialization used to be a fundamental way to stand out. The bullseye was at the top of their chosen field. As the job market evolves however, people seek more flexibility and don’t want to be stuck doing the same thing. Thus the answer isn’t so binary. Having a broad scope of mini-specialties can outdo having an in-depth understanding of one area.

The Pros Of Both

Specialization isn’t necessarily bad. Don’t get that idea. A specialist has worked within their field since youth. They grasp the current best practices and the history of change, and tend to be the final decision-maker. Few can attain their level of comprehension. When you’re the master, the expert, the virtuoso, the only one with the capability to solve a problem, you’re the authority. Think neurosurgeons and investment bankers. Advantages of a specialist: credibility in a subject matter, in-depth knowledge and expertise; they hit the ground running, can share their knowledge, and can become a final decision-maker.

Generalists aren’t worse. A generalist is adept at several and often related, fields. The benefit is the scope. They are plastic and can take on whatever may come. Challenges are appealing to them. Generalists can join organizations and take on roles fit for their mixed skillset. They dabble in various responsibilities. Leadership positions are common for generalists, as they prerequisite a divergent set of skills and a big-picture view. Handy when you’re managing the cogs and gears of an entire org. Advantages of a generalist: great adaptability, broad range of skills, big-picture thinking, fresh perspective, likely to seek opportunities, and better leadership.

The Cons Of Both

While specialists might be able to set their own price, they have limitations. You are too big for most problems. Niche issues, sure. Neurosurgeons and brain tumors are a perfect pair. But specialists are too specialized and become useless in face of more general quandaries. Plus, they’re a species at risk. Automation, artificial intelligence, and societal shifts put specialists on thin ice. Since they work within defined rules and systems, they will sooner or later be replaced by code. And, the narrowness of their scope means they sacrifice other areas. Disadvantages of a specialist: not easy to shift roles, less suited to startups and small businesses.

Adaptable and versatile though they may be, generalists have their drawbacks. Generalists possess skills which are frequently unseen. Often it’s just hard to make their variety shine. Because of this, leaders may not know how to handle them, having them do unskilled work to fill their calendar. But generalists like their fast-paced roles where they tick different tasks. This discrepancy can become problematic. Disadvantages of a generalist: not the best bet for specialized tasks, can become obsolete when the team grows, may get bored if tasks are repetitive, costly during initial training.

Specialist To Generalist and Back

Remember: there is no one-size-fits-all solution to career. A generalist and specialist may work for the same department. Marketing. The generalist will be an analyst, coordinator, and content writer for short bursts. This’ll provide them with an overview of the department so they can eventually oversee it as a manager or director. A specialist would be the content writer or the coordinator, the senior in that specific field. There are pros and cons to each. Defining what’s better means figuring out what’s better for you. Not me. Not Johnny. Not everyone. You.

Don’t limit your thinking. You can switch. Generalist to specialist. Back and forth. It isn’t an unchangeable character trait or genetic mutation. If you are young, it makes sense to go wide and explore the world’s tracks. A little about a lot. When one interest grabs you, pursue it. Pursue it to live off of it. Pursue it enough to sell it—be it through employment or business. Reap the rewards of being semi-specialized. But keep learning to find connections between fields specialists miss. This will set you apart.

Considerations For The Hiring and Hired

For financial success, the answer is clear. The ability of a generalist is needed. Take starting a business. Merely establishing yourself requires that you understand how to create a business plan, come up with ideas to market your product or service, manage the operations and logistics, provide customer service, and tons of other things. Financial success prerequisites a wide skillset—especially during the initial phases when you’re switching between all the roles as a sole proprietor.

In making hires, there are ups and downs to weigh. Generalists are willing to learn. They aim to gain expertise to prepare them for a career as a manager or executive; a leader. Since they’re constantly learning, they are chameleons and thrive in changing environments. Whereas specialists hold advanced knowledge in a certain field. From day one, they are ready to complete complex tasks the role may require. They might even train other team members. As icing on the cake, it’s easier to keep them since they are strengthening their skill in that field while working for you. Overall, for niche problems you hire a specialist, and for upper-level management you hire a generalist. The smaller your company, the more you err towards the generalist—since your budget isn’t large enough to bring specialists in for every department.

Final Comment

In the end, deciding between being a generalist or specialist as an employee, and between hiring a generalist or specialist as an employer depends on preference, needs, and the role. Sadly, there is no easy answer. “Writers have no real area of expertise.” said Lorrie Moore, “They are merely generalists with a highly inflamed sense of punctuation.”