I'm a 35 years old Software Engineer with multiple experiences in startups. I think I'm average (or good) in many areas, but almost nowhere an expert. I dabble in everything: back, front, devops, and even outside of the web, I started a business, I have some product skills (UI, UX), marketing, business, etc.
And I actually liked this polyvalence, until now, because it became very difficult to find a new job that takes advantage of my versatility. The profiles sought are always specialized in established companies. Almost no one is looking for a "jack of all trades."
I would probably be a good fit being the co-founder of a new startup, but I can't afford not being paid for many months right now.
At this stage of my life, I am starting to regret my versatility while I sincerely thought it was a strength.
What would you do?
You can present yourself as someone with good software engineering fundamentals that also understands the business context. Someone out there is looking for exactly that and it’s hard for them to find it.
Also showing that you’re able to pick up new skills quickly—yes, it’s cliché—is competitive. In my experience, someone who can understand well the fundamentals of one area will follow a similar approach to understand another, so if you can show that, you can convince someone that you can settle into a more specialized position despite not having the skills right now.