On Being a Generalist
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On Being a Generalist
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Re: On Being a Generalist
#2> Some companies only hire specialists. If you’re Google, it makes little sense to hire a generalist, I think.
Having been through a Google interview and offer process, this seems exactly backwards: Google selects heavily for generalists, so that they have people who can adapt to and integrate different technologies. (I'm sure they do hire specialists in various areas, but their interview process optimizes for generalists.)
Re: On Being a Generalist
#3> Some companies only hire specialists. If you’re Google, it makes little sense to hire a generalist, I think. Having been through a Google interview and offer process, this seems exactly backwards: Google selects heavily for generalists, so that they have people who can adapt to and integrate different technologies. (I'm sure they do hire specialists in various areas, but their interview process optimizes for genera…
I was about to post exactly this. The author is the exact opposite of right here.
Re: On Being a Generalist
#4In the summer I will finish my MBA and I consider myself a generalist. I never had a real focus during my bachelor and my master studies and now I am a little bit afraid that this could result in problems finding a job.
Re: On Being a Generalist
#5Personally, I'm a generalist in the worst sense in that I've read about a lot and can talk for day about various things, but am only proficient in one or two things.
Re: On Being a Generalist
#6There's nothing stopping you from being both broad and deep. Be an expert on a few things, knowledgeable on more, and familiar with many more, and grow all of those sets over time.
Re: On Being a Generalist
#7Personally, I'm a generalist in the worst sense in that I've read about a lot and can talk for day about various things, but am only proficient in one or two things.
lmk when you find a fix for this :(
Re: On Being a Generalist
#8Often we cherish specialists quoting "Jack of all trades, master of none".
Curiously enough, the full version of the original has a twist:
“A jack of all trades is a master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one."
https://www.theodysseyonline.com/7-phrases-youve-been-misquo...
Re: On Being a Generalist
#9> Some companies only hire specialists. If you’re Google, it makes little sense to hire a generalist, I think. Having been through a Google interview and offer process, this seems exactly backwards: Google selects heavily for generalists, so that they have people who can adapt to and integrate different technologies. (I'm sure they do hire specialists in various areas, but their interview process optimizes for genera…
There are exceptions, but the vast majority of tech positions at Google are for generalists. Hiring managers, interviewers and hiring committees look for strong signal that a candidate is a good generalist and only incidentally that they have any specific skills (more as a proof that they are able to acquire a skill to a high level of mastery than out of need for that specific skill).
Re: On Being a Generalist
#10Personally, I'm a generalist in the worst sense in that I've read about a lot and can talk for day about various things, but am only proficient in one or two things.
That’s called being young and it’s how everyone starts. Keep going!
(Obviously I don’t know how old you actually are, but one can be young in a career sense at any point)