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Ask HN: What job can a “jack of all trades” look for?

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Re: Ask HN: What job can a “jack of all trades” look for?

#201

Post by The_DaveG »

finaliteration wrote: post #70

I’m also a generalist and I’ve found my “place” as a systems integrator. The work requires me to know/learn a bunch of different systems and patterns and be able to transfer knowledge across domains. It requires that I understand infrastructure, programming, and distributed systems, as well as be able to collaborate with a bunch of different teams during the course of setting up integrations and messaging systems. I…

Coming from an SI background, I was thinking the same thing.

It's nice to see another integrator here. What do you guys focus on?

Re: Ask HN: What job can a “jack of all trades” look for?

#202

Post by thorin »

I consider myself to be a bit of a Jack although I've been doing database development / design / data mostly for the last 2 years. I've also been doing Java, JavaScript, C, .Net, mobile, some admin, DBA.

I'm currently working as a technical architect that allows me to do some low level work but also work across several areas/technologies. A senior support engineer might also do the same. I've noticed quite few integration jobs which might involve working across technologies. I'd apply for technical roles in your desired pay range and location where you have some of the skills and see what happens. You don't really know too much about jobs until you get there.

Some people really value a diverse skillset and others just want you to churn out x lines of Java code per day...

Re: Ask HN: What job can a “jack of all trades” look for?

#203

Post by rasikjain »

In my experience, the job market looks for a specific niche. You are well compensated for a niche technology instead of generalist "jack of all trades". (e.g Salesforce, AWS, Mulesoft, CyberSecurity etc)

Even though a person has experience with lot of tools and languages, I believe it would be better to market yourself with specific set of tools/technology/language which are in demand. This has been my experience and worked out well.

If you have any questions, my email is in profile. Good luck with your search.

Re: Ask HN: What job can a “jack of all trades” look for?

#204

Post by telebone_man »

> Development (full stack), server admin, data center management, DevOps, project management, managing teams, VoIP, routing/switching, training, sales... the list goes on.

I was a 'generalist' for most of my career. I had started, run and sold a successful business that required me to touch all parts of the business.

Until a Sales Director absolutely schooled me in the theory that underpinned his work. He seemed insulted that I claimed to be proficient in sales. It was an insult to his specialism.

I would suggest you really test yourself in one of these areas before claiming you're proficient. I've never met a single person who was proficient in all the above. I've met plenty of people who could trudge along in those areas.

Re: Ask HN: What job can a “jack of all trades” look for?

#205

Post by perl4ever »

Can_Not wrote: post #195
perl4ever wrote: post #159

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You're saying $44K = rich, and that normal income = $88K. If you make $88K then you can have $44K to blow just by only spending $44K, like the people who only make $44K anyway . (Yes, yes, ignoring taxes)

I get $88K by working fulltime for $X months. Getting $44K _for free_ and then also having an entire fulltime of availability to work on a project is quite a gamechanger.

How can you spend $44K on a project and live off of it at the same time, in the latter case where someone handed you the money?

And if you are saving $44K per year, why can't you work for two years and then take one year off, having both $44K to live on and $44K to spend on a project?

And finally, didn't this start with a $44K loan, not a gift?

Re: Ask HN: What job can a “jack of all trades” look for?

#206

Post by WheelsAtLarge »

If you have some discipline and can focus on projects you are the perfect candidate for starting your own business. As a business owner you need to be able to do many different things as you start out. Eventually you'll need to focus on one role but that's in the future and you can always start another business if you feel the need.

Re: Ask HN: What job can a “jack of all trades” look for?

#207

Post by cloverich »

bsanr2 wrote: post #183
cloverich wrote: post #169

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You think turning a 44k loan into multiple successful businesses is average?

>among people in his position That is, among college students without the baggage of full adulthood (debt, personal responsibilities, the mental and physical degradation that starts as early as your mid-twenties, and the risk aversion that comes with these things), and with the support of at least moderately wealthy parents and the affordances they bring: yes, there's not much here to show above-average performance.…

There's literally millions of college students in that position every year. Its absolutely not common for most of them to start _a_ successful business, let a lone several. I've worked at companies who had far more money, more connections, and more advantages, that ended up with less. OP's an outlier irrespective of their advantages.

> the mental and physical degradation that starts as early as your mid-twenties

Degrading in your twenties (in any meaningful sense) is _highly_ atypical.

Re: Ask HN: What job can a “jack of all trades” look for?

#208

Post by shifto »

yibg wrote: post #118

Put in a bit of a different view point here. I was the generalist a while ago too. Worked at a consulting firm that did custom builds with small teams, so not only did everything technology wise but also interacting with clients. So did part of developer, account management, sales, dev ops etc roles. Also did everything from backend to mobile in different frameworks and environments. I thought the same, that I was a…

I second this. I was a sysadmin turned devops engineer at a small software company (100/150 employees) for 8 years. Basically the longest employed employee at that point. Knew everything about our systems, infra, software, customers etc. Thought I had a pretty good grasp on what I did.

Got bored after 8 years and now work for a big company as a DBA, and man, I knew so little in hindsight. Having sysadmin knowledge does make working with other teams (like infra) much easier as I feel they respect me more than another colleague but I definitely got put in my place (and love it here!).

Also specializing on databases satisfies me a lot because I feel I'm really grasping the entire tech for real this time and not just the surface.

Re: Ask HN: What job can a “jack of all trades” look for?

#209

Post by Can_Not »

perl4ever wrote: post #205
Can_Not wrote: post #195

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I get $88K by working fulltime for $X months. Getting $44K _for free_ and then also having an entire fulltime of availability to work on a project is quite a gamechanger.

How can you spend $44K on a project and live off of it at the same time, in the latter case where someone handed you the money? And if you are saving $44K per year, why can't you work for two years and then take one year off, having both $44K to live on and $44K to spend on a project? And finally, didn't this start with a $44K loan, not a gift?

Bold of you to assume I have even more money.

Re: Ask HN: What job can a “jack of all trades” look for?

#210

Post by ahpearce »

akcreek wrote: post #51

I have a wide-ranging self-taught skill set as well that I've developed over the last 14 years of running my own businesses. I'll share what I'm doing from a high level as it might not be the most common path. I've been acquiring small but promising businesses that don't have the right team in place to move them forward. I bootstrap them on my own and replace my roles as the business can afford staff. Once enough rol…

Couldn't find your e-mail in your profile and wanted to get in touch. Very interested in going down this path, or potentially working together.
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