Which is better? I’m sure you have heard the term “jack of all trades, master of none” but is that really true? In this post, I breakdown how you should approach this question, regardless if you are just starting out in IT or a seasoned veteran.
What is an IT Generalist?
Let’s first start with the terms. What is an IT generalist? Let’s look at the first definition on Google from Oxford.
Generalist – a person competent in several different fields or activities.
In other words, a person who has a broad knowledge set (through experience or formal education) but is not necessarily an expert in any one area.
From an IT perspective. This individual might have experience in Desktop Support, Systems Administration, Networking Engineering and Security just to name a few. He or she might do all of these roles!
This is common in a lot of smaller organizations where you are required to wear many hats in order to perform your job. It’s also how a lot of people start out their careers. There is a need and that person takes on the new responsibility.
Pros and Cons of being an IT generalist
Personally, I always liked being an IT generalist because you had the opportunity to get experience with a lot of different technologies. I think it’s important for new IT professionals to get this type of experience.
This type of exposure to a lot of different technologies allows you to start building a solid (but high-level) foundation which is important for a couple of reasons.
First, it gives you an opportunity to see what you like and don’t like.
Secondly, you get the perspective that gives you a good overarching idea on how things work together from an architectural approach.
However, being a generalist does have some drawbacks. Never focusing on a particular technology could have limitations from a career growth perspective.
As a generalist, it’s very difficult to be an expert at everything; especially a field as complex as Information Technology. Most higher paying jobs typically look for more specialized knowledge.
What is an IT Specialist?
What is a specialist? Here is the first definition from Google.
Specialist – a person who concentrates primarily on a particular subject or activity; a person highly skilled in a specific and restricted field
From an IT perspective, an IT specialist would be sometimes more focused on a particular technology.
There are varying degrees of speciality but we’ll keep it pretty basic for now. For example, you could be a Linux Systems Administrator, Storage Administrator, Voice Engineer, Web Developer to name a few.
These roles are much more focused and are more often seen in larger companies where the size and complexity of the environment warrant having individuals or even teams dedicated to a particular technology.
Pros and Cons of being an IT Specialist
Being a specialist really allows you to go deep and hone in on your craft. This is great for individuals that want to work towards mastery and become an expert in a particular field.
A byproduct of this is typically higher pay because specialized skills tend to be harder to find once you get to a particular level.
It also helps define your personal brand which is your own unique traits that make you who you are professional.
The downside to being a specialist in IT is that over time you can start losing some of your broader knowledge in other areas. As a specialist, you don’t want to fall into the trap of not being able to see the forest through the trees.
In addition, unless you absolutely love your speciality it is possible to get bored over time. So it’s important to really focus on something you love to always want to immerse yourself into the topic more.
In that case, I have personally moved from one speciality to another to address this issue which also takes you out of your comfort zone and forces you to potentially start over and learn something new. The great thing about IT is that there isn’t a shortage of new things to learn.
Which one is better?
Instead of picking one or the other. Why not pick both? This is called a specialized generalist. Having a broad set of knowledge around a variety of technologies with a focus on one or two areas where you can build your expertise gives you the best of both worlds.
Conclusion
As you can see both an IT generalist and an IT specialist have pros and cons. A lot has to do with your career goals. That is why I think it’s important to incorporate both into your career planning to allow you to take advantage of all the benefits of being both.
