Who is having better career prospects - a generalist or a specialist?
Author: Venkiteswaran Post Date: 31 Jul 2023 
A generalist has a general knowledge of a variety of subjects and spectrums. Mostly this is obtained from the common general education and qualifying exams. However, a specialist has gained deep and focused knowledge and expertise on one particular subject or category.
Generalists can fit into any common general jobs and fields where the requirement is some basic knowledge and further more specific tuning can be done with in-house training and/or on-the-job experience. In real life, more generalists are needed in all services and only a few specialists are needed. Hence generalists will have more career opportunities to start. As there is more demand and more availability of prospective candidates there is naturally a low remuneration at the start. If we scan the various opportunities or employment recruitment announcements in media we can see most of them need just a general degree or PG or diploma or even a Tenth class pass. In many general posts, there will be mass recruitment of generalists, and hence openings and opportunities are more. Consequently, the competition also will be more. The IT sector is a perfect example of the recruitment of generalists. They recruit mostly fresh graduates of all common branches. Then they give them orientation training and make them suitable for their tasks.
However as specialists are the result of more focused and deep learning and may be needing more years than generalists for that, we get less number of specialists. It is a mutually complementing cycle- less number of specialist vacancies, hence less number of specialists, hence less number of specialist training institutions. But for the same reason, specialists get higher remuneration and higher positions in the job hierarchy.
While generalists usually are the victims of retrenchments and layouts, they are equally having opportunities for alternate job availability also. On the contrary, generalists being more useful and valuable to an organization may face less threat of losing a job, but in case of such they may not be able to get more avenues as they can fit into only the particular field of specialization. For the same reason, the specialists are subject to poaching by rivals and competitors too. Hence their demand and bargaining power also is high, whereas generalists usually have to be satisfied by what is offered by their employers.
So for an early and easy entry in a career and getting alternate opportunities it is better to be a generalist. But to have a high remuneration, have more participation in the organization's key activities, have a high position in the hierarchy, and also have more demanding and bargaining power, it is better to be a specialist. The specialist can have their career path even after regular employment.
Thus it is depending on what our goal is.
A generalist has a general knowledge of a variety of subjects and spectrums. Mostly this is obtained from the common general education and qualifying exams. However, a specialist has gained deep and focused knowledge and expertise on one particular subject or category.
Generalists can fit into any common general jobs and fields where the requirement is some basic knowledge and further more specific tuning can be done with in-house training and/or on-the-job experience. In real life, more generalists are needed in all services and only a few specialists are needed. Hence generalists will have more career opportunities to start. As there is more demand and more availability of prospective candidates there is naturally a low remuneration at the start. If we scan the various opportunities or employment recruitment announcements in media we can see most of them need just a general degree or PG or diploma or even a Tenth class pass. In many general posts, there will be mass recruitment of generalists, and hence openings and opportunities are more. Consequently, the competition also will be more. The IT sector is a perfect example of the recruitment of generalists. They recruit mostly fresh graduates of all common branches. Then they give them orientation training and make them suitable for their tasks.
However as specialists are the result of more focused and deep learning and may be needing more years than generalists for that, we get less number of specialists. It is a mutually complementing cycle- less number of specialist vacancies, hence less number of specialists, hence less number of specialist training institutions. But for the same reason, specialists get higher remuneration and higher positions in the job hierarchy.
While generalists usually are the victims of retrenchments and layouts, they are equally having opportunities for alternate job availability also. On the contrary, generalists being more useful and valuable to an organization may face less threat of losing a job, but in case of such they may not be able to get more avenues as they can fit into only the particular field of specialization. For the same reason, the specialists are subject to poaching by rivals and competitors too. Hence their demand and bargaining power also is high, whereas generalists usually have to be satisfied by what is offered by their employers.
So for an early and easy entry in a career and getting alternate opportunities it is better to be a generalist. But to have a high remuneration, have more participation in the organization's key activities, have a high position in the hierarchy, and also have more demanding and bargaining power, it is better to be a specialist. The specialist can have their career path even after regular employment.
Thus it is depending on what our goal is.
Author: DR.N.V. Srinivasa Rao Post Date: 31 Jul 2023
An organisation can't appoint many specialists in a particular field. Based on the size of the operations, the number of specialists required will be decided. Again, the requirement of generalists will also be based on the size of the business only. But definitely, the requirement of generalists for an organisation will be higher than that of specialists.
In my opinion career prospects of a generalist or a specialist will depend on the interest one takes in his work. For example, we take a B.Sc. Chemistry qualified person as a general manufacturing chemist. But the organisation in which he/she joined will train him in a specific process and use him/her continuously. After putting up some years of experience in the same field he will become a specialist. But all generalists will never become specialists with experience.
In the field of medicine, an MBBS degree is a general degree and we can call the person who has this Degree as a generalist. But when they do a PG course in a specialised field they will become specialists. A patient initially goes to a family doctor who is like a generalist. If necessary he will send the patient to a specialist. So a general doctor will have more patients but the fees he collects will be less than the fees of the specialist. But a specialist will have fewer patients but his fees will be high.
I feel chances for generalists are more but more number of generalists will be there. But specialists will be fewer but their chances also will be less. So it is very difficult to say who will have a better career prospect. As these days competition is very high in all the fields, some specialists are also starting their careers as a generalist and then slowly going to higher positions by working with focus.
Generalists will be easily available for recruitment but specialists will be fewer in number. That is why many organisations try to take fresh candidates and train them and make them specialists by arranging training programs etc.
An organisation can't appoint many specialists in a particular field. Based on the size of the operations, the number of specialists required will be decided. Again, the requirement of generalists will also be based on the size of the business only. But definitely, the requirement of generalists for an organisation will be higher than that of specialists.
In my opinion career prospects of a generalist or a specialist will depend on the interest one takes in his work. For example, we take a B.Sc. Chemistry qualified person as a general manufacturing chemist. But the organisation in which he/she joined will train him in a specific process and use him/her continuously. After putting up some years of experience in the same field he will become a specialist. But all generalists will never become specialists with experience.
In the field of medicine, an MBBS degree is a general degree and we can call the person who has this Degree as a generalist. But when they do a PG course in a specialised field they will become specialists. A patient initially goes to a family doctor who is like a generalist. If necessary he will send the patient to a specialist. So a general doctor will have more patients but the fees he collects will be less than the fees of the specialist. But a specialist will have fewer patients but his fees will be high.
I feel chances for generalists are more but more number of generalists will be there. But specialists will be fewer but their chances also will be less. So it is very difficult to say who will have a better career prospect. As these days competition is very high in all the fields, some specialists are also starting their careers as a generalist and then slowly going to higher positions by working with focus.
Generalists will be easily available for recruitment but specialists will be fewer in number. That is why many organisations try to take fresh candidates and train them and make them specialists by arranging training programs etc.
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