
Ask HN: Specialist vs. All-Rounder? - franco456
In your opinion which is preferable?<p>I&#x27;ve worked for a mid-size company for several years and as time has gone on, I&#x27;ve become more and more siloed into a specialised role. The role is half technical&#x2F;half commercial (Sales Engineer). I did a bachelor degree in CS but have never been a full-time SW developer, I graduated in 2008.<p>I have been working on my, relatively successful, own project in my spare time for the last 5 years and have built up a pretty solid marketing and UX knowledge. I have done all technical work on the site (CRUD application, 3rd party API integration and own API, personalisation algorithms, marketing automation)<p>I&#x27;m taking a few months out to do some travelling but after that, I&#x27;m looking to work at a much smaller company&#x2F;startup.<p>My worry is that I have become too specialised in my professional role, and will find it hard to break out into any other role in the future as my experience in marketing&#x2F;UX is not &#x27;official&#x27; experience, and I&#x27;ve never been a professional developer.
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otoburb
The "specialist vs. generalist" question is only one dimension. It would help
if you could explain which business function you're interested in trying next.

The System/Sales Engineer role is flexible enough that you should be able to
move laterally into a field services function (e.g. professional services or
product support), or stay in the sales function and graduate to an [technical]
account manager role with quota responsibilities.

Breaking into product management/marketing or product development/engineering
is generally easier at the same company because most people already know you.
You'd have to convince them that you have the skills or to take a chance on
you, and revealing your side project may help there (but be careful about the
legal department asserting rights).

Whether your new role & function combination will require you to become a
specialist or generalist is usually role-dependent. Most small companies only
have a single point product for sale, tending to force everybody into specific
domain specialization, whereas larger companies usually have a suite of
products allowing staff the choice to hop from product to product.

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CyberFonic
It depends! ... How much of your technical work is actual software
development? What marketable skills have your acquired using your side
project? Do you enjoy being a Sales Engineer or would you rather be a full-
time developer? Are you prepared to take a salary reduction while you rebuild
your profile as a developer?

Small companies and startups also need sales engineers - is that an option for
you?

It is not your "official" titles but the demonstrable value you bring to your
potential employer that counts. There many incompetent people out there with
fancy titles - I wouldn't be wanting to hire any of them.

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atsaloli
"A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a
hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a
wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act
alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a
computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization
is for insects." -Robert A. Heinlein

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franco456
Could a mod add "Ask HN:" please? Won't let me edit

