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General or Specific better Career path?

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by s_sykes

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As the lone in-house resource for a web startup for the last several years, I feel like I learned a little about every area of IT you would need in a small business. I have found a few similar "computer guy" type jobs in small organizations, but I'm concerned that this could be a misstep on the career trail. I think it might be better to go to work for a large organization where I could learn more specific skills from supervisors and co-workers, but so far I have not had much luck getting in the door with these companies right now. Very few seem interested in hiring IT!

So is remaining a generalist in small organizations going to hurt my future career? Should I hold out now for a "corporate job" with a narrow focus to develop a more specific skill set? I'm sure I should probably take whatever I can get right now!

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by maxwell edison

Being the only "computer guy", a generalist as you call it, is a great place to be. Sure, you don't have that one specific focus on which you can become an expert, but you're becoming (or have already become) an expert at something else. You are themaster of trouble-shooting. You are the ultimate problem solver. You are the solution to all their problems. You are the lone soldier defending your organization against the invasion of the technology gremlins.

Even if you do want to get into a specific and focused position, presenting yourself as a proven and successful problem solver instead of a jack-of-all-trades is the way to go.

You've got it made in the shade.

by generalist

Being a generalist is good if you like working for small organizations or if you are in a market that is too small to allow a lot of specialization.

Of course, if you want to be able to work for organizations that have IT departments numbering inthe hundreds if not thousands, you will need to specialize to a degree. You will also need to show that you work well with teams and that you can handle 'formal' processes often associated with large IT departments.

These 'formal' processes are often the ones that you find mentioned in IT management magazines. They are also the ones that get set aside in small shops because they are too time intensive.

by http://stobie.home.sprynet.com/work/

I have job searched for many years. Most jobs are posted to fill niches; not bring multi-talented people into the organization. Most HR departments and recruiters discriminate against the generalists, even if they are better specialists in an area, that the solely focused.

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