How to become a specialist, in being a generalist ?
In a previous post, I asked a question about how to be able to build an in-depth technical expertise when we are always learning and exploring new technologies. Going back to the complex world of cloud native technologies, and you can draw a parallel with any technological and scientific domain, we are facing a real conundrum. Should we specialize in one technology or should we have a broader view of the domain ?
According to David Epstein, the author of the inspiring book “Range, why generalists triumph in a specialized world”, rather than building grand learning plans and long term goals, we could try to engage in short term planning. We can sample and try new technologies and tools and pick what better suits us.
The problem is that during these journeys of self-discovery, we could find ourselves in a position of an outsider and we might feel that experts are better at solving problems in their domains. We tend to see specialist as better equipped to solve complex problems in their fields of expertise.
However, many experiences show that hyper specialists often to get stuck in their domain specific solutions and methods. They fail to see patterns and connections with other domains.
Outsiders, on the other hand, are better in bringing ideas and insights from different domains of knowledge. They can bridge gaps between seemingly disparate fields and contribute to solving complex problems. Kaggle, the machine learning challenges platform is a good example of how independent members were able to solve issues across different fields.
Outsiders, often called “T-shaped” or “π-shaped”, have the ability to see unthought of uses of technologies and tools in domains that are adjacent to their areas of specialties. This is what we call lateral thinking. People with range are able to integrate knowledge from different domains. Their insatiable curiosity pushes them to try new ideas and perspectives while their “active open-mindedness” prevents them from adopting dogmatic positions or fall prone to overlearned behaviors.
Whether you are coming from software development, operations, system administration or project management, you can leverage your current specialty to gain a broader understanding of the cloud domain. You will then become a specialist in being a generalist.
