Specialist vs. Generalist — What Should You Become?
One of the most important life choices is if you want to become a specialist or a generalist. Depending on your answer, you have very different paths ahead of you.
The problem is that most of us are not aware of this choice. We go along with whatever the people around us suggest, and as a result, we end up in situations that we don’t find fulfilling.
The most obvious area of your life this affects is your career. You could become a neurosurgeon that only performs a certain type of brain surgery. Or you could become a writer and talk about all the different aspects of the human condition. One is extremely narrow, the other extremely wide.
But this choice doesn’t just affect your work life. It also affects your fitness, for example. You could go with an approach like CrossFit, where you try to master everything from bodyweight training to Olympic weight lifting. Or you could zoom in on one activity, like taking 10,000 daily steps.
This even applies to your sexual relationships. Some people get married at the age of 20 and never look back. That is a relationship specialist for you. Some people go into polyamory, dating multiple people at the same time, with partners coming and going. That is a relationship generalist for you.
Reward Systems & Timelines
The first thing to realize is that there are different reward systems and timelines. As a specialist, rewards are pretty much guaranteed, and you also tend to see them more quickly. If you take 6–12 months to learn a programming language like JavaScript or Python, you will get paid.
On the other hand, if you try to make it as a lifestyle vlogger on YouTube, results are typically further off in the future, and less predictable. That is the lot of the generalist.
But the generalist has a different advantage — there is no inbuilt ceiling to their achievements. The top-earning YouTubers make about 50 million dollars a year. An elite-level programmer might make 500,000 dollars. That’s a far cry from the generalist.
Which One To Choose?
To decide which one is right for you, there are two pairs to consider:
Depth vs. breadth
Safety vs. uncertainty
The first pair is pretty self-explanatory. Specialists like to go deep on one topic, while generalists enjoy exploring several topics.
The second pair is where it gets interesting. Specialists tend to have a strong need for safety, financial or otherwise. They need to know where they fit in. That is why they pick one career, one partner, one hobby, etc.
True generalists can handle more uncertainty. For example, in business, they might not know what they are building yet and if it will make them money. To many specialists, that uncertainty would be nerve-wracking.
Not surprisingly, society will push you towards becoming a specialist. Your parents will tell you to become a doctor or a lawyer. It’s the safe option.
If that’s you, great. Becoming a specialist can be a deeply satisfying journey. I have met a few specialists in my life who had truly achieved mastery, and it was a sight to behold. I revere some of these people.
But this choice must come from within you. Don’t become a neurosurgeon because your parents expect you to. Become a neurosurgeon because it is the last thing you think about before you fall asleep and the first thing you think about after you wake up.
But if you have always been wildly curious about more than one thing, follow your generalist tendencies. Don’t let society box you in.
But...
Here comes the but.
In my coaching practice, I attract a lot of self-proclaimed polymaths. This is probably due to my convoluted personal history. They sense a kind of kinship.
However, being a polymath (aka a generalist) can easily turn into an excuse — you think it gives you permission to explore X today, Y tomorrow, and Z the day after that.
If you just keep jumping from one thing to the next, you will never accomplish anything. You are not being a generalist so much as a hedonist. You just want to indulge your desire for novelty.
The way I see it — as a generalist, you need to buckle down. You need to dedicate at least 3–5 years of intense work to 3–5 different areas of knowledge/skills — each. If you do that, people will eventually pay you for being good at several things. But that’s a lot of work and the opposite of following whatever tickles your fancy.
The other thing a generalist needs to pay attention to is synthesis. If you can, repackage your specific mix of skills as something new. Essentially, you want to be the guy who was good at running, swimming, and cycling (but not world-class) and then went on to invent the sport of triathlon. Probably not how it played out, but you get my point.
The idea of personal branding plays into that. If you build yourself up as the common denominator of all the skills you possess, some people will find that convincing and buy from you. But this requires yet another skill set — marketing.
Mix & Match
Finally, you can be a specialist in certain areas of your life, and a generalist in others. As an extreme minimalist, I have a very specialized approach to physical possessions. As a “monk mode” proponent, I have a very specialized approach to personal productivity. Yet, when it comes to relationships, I tend to seek out more than one partner (= generalist). Mix and match.
Never lie to yourself about one basic truth, though: Your resources are limited. Specialists tend to understand that, while generalists tend to entertain delusions about how much time and energy they really have. But the rules of the game don’t change because you ignore them. Even the most dedicated of generalists will never get past half a dozen, “Oh, you are good at this!” areas in their lives. So, invest your resources wisely.
I made it to Thailand; have been here for a little bit more than a week. I am currently building out a small YouTube studio, so I can finally start filming again. I miss it.
Talk to you soon!
Niels