IS it better to be a generalist or a specialist?

blargoe

jibbajabba wrote: »

I am a general specialist

So, is that better than being a special generalist? What pays more?

blargoe

The only statement I will make definitively on generalist vs specialist, is that eventually, you will have to evolve from the guy that is willing to take on anything, anytime, anywhere, to something with a narrower focus, and filter the rest out. Whatever you focus on depends on what interests you and how you like to work. No one size fits all, and you can be successful being ultra specialized or not.

paul78

blargoe wrote: »

No one size fits all....

Since the OP hasn't chimed back in, we are all pretty much guessing about the intent of the question.

And like most of these subjective generalized questions, we have come to the common conclusion of "it depends" - funny how it always works out this way.

higherho

Specialize in the technology you love the most (as people stated in this thread) but I also think its good to be a bit of a generalist in that specialization as well. For example; most of the sys admins I worked with did not know much of the networking backend (even though they were responsible for it). I think knowing a little bit of a field that might help you understand your job a bit more will be beneficial in the future.

destini99

I think it depends on your level of skill and how well you perform the tasks at hand