This week, I am going to devote the time to conceptualize the dichotomy between what being a specialist is versus what being a generalist entails.
Let’s start this post off with some definitions.
According to Dictionary.com, a specialist is:
“a person who devotes himself or herself to one subject or to one particular branch of a subject or pursuit.”
We can also define a specialist as someone who has a lot of knowledge, or skill for a specific subject. A specialist is one that has expertise in the subject matter they apply their focus and time to.
Whereas, according to Dictionary.com a generalist is:
“a person whose knowledge, aptitudes, and skills are applied to a field as a whole or to a variety of different fields.”
We can also define a generalist as a person who has broad general knowledge and applies their skills in several areas.
A thought experiment
Given the above definitions, take out a piece of lined paper, or open an empty document and write out what areas in which you define yourself as a specialist versus a generalist.
It could be anything. Beatboxing. Marketing. Doing impressions. Or even dancing.
The prompts you ask yourself consist of:
What are you a specialist of as in terms of your understanding?
What are you a generalist of as in terms of your understanding?
To better display what this should look like: here is what I believe I am a specialist in versus what I am a generalist in.
What am I a specialist of?
Self-Education.
Optimism.
Writing.
Goal-setting, as well as sticking to these goals.
Open-Mindedness.
Reading.
Psychology.
DJING.
Keyboard.
Finding New Music.
Startups.
What am I a generalist of?
Cryptocurrencies.
NFTs, Web3, DAOS.
Tools for Thought.
Teaching.
The Music Industry.
Podcasts.
How to create one?
How to best learn from these?
Building an online audience.
Migrating work done in the digital world to IRL (in real life).
Consulting (and how to monetize from this).
Specifically as it relates to the internet economy.
Helping early stage startups monetize.
Helping companies/individuals understand crypto.
Sharing what excites me in tech.
What trends we should keep our eyes peeled on, etc..
Starting a company.
Finance/Investing.
Thought experiment reflection
Now that you are done with this exercise.... it is worth diving into why you chose what you did. Why was DJING (or insert X here) something you ranked yourself as a specialist on versus a generalist or vice versa?
Here I'll explain on how my understanding changed for these terms after running through this thought experiment.
Did your interpretation of what being a specialist is change? Or did it remain the same?
Absolutely. The way my perspective of being a specialist changed after this reflection activity was by recognizing the skills in which I have actively practiced to turn into expertise.
As far as it relates to being a specialist, it is almost as if, I'd pitch these as skillsets rather than concrete areas I have expertise in.
For example, DJING was something I had always wanted to do, but had never given myself the time of day to do so. However, over time I decided to move forward with intent and set aside a particular time of day in which I practice this.
Keeping up the momentum towards a general interest such as DJING, and fully diving deep into the activity or idea that excites you.. allows you to accumulate skills, building up into expertise. In other words, it can become your specialty :)
Reflecting on the things that I had put into my specialist category, such as startups, makes me realize that these are all activities/areas in which I put skin in the game daily. One has to consistently practice the things in which we deem ourselves a specialist in, or we will transfer back to being a generalist in this realm.
Did your interpretation of what being a generalist change? Or did it remain the same?
As far as it relates to being a generalist, these are moreso the areas in which I am looking to immerse myself more into and/or have begun the initial exploration period to a particular idea/activity.
Let’s use consulting and how to monetize from this as our next example. Declaring this as something I am a generalist in, signifies my interest as well as further research/action I will have to take towards this. However, it does not signal that I am a specialist in consulting, as I am lacking the experience in successfully monetizing from this.
Nevertheless, establishing what you are a specialist in versus a generalist in, can be a true distinguisher in how you can best spend the most scarce resource we have: our time.
Going back to the generalist and consulting example, how can one best invest the time to then make this their specialty?
You can start by doing some research on this. Reaching out to consulting companies. Distinguishing the typical pay rate, as well as what services/products consultants provide. You can actively start listing potential clients.
So yes, in response to the prompt, my interpretation of being a generalist has changed. Applying the necessary time and taking the appropriate actions towards our specific realms in which we are hoping to transform our expertise from a generalist to a specialist is the key to success.
Conclusion
What are you hoping to become a specialist in?
It is time to double-down on the things that you are hoping to become a specialist in instead of just being a generalist.
However, the important thing to note is that becoming a generalist is also a very critical step. As this is the initial hypothetical flag being planted to stake what it is that interests us.
From there, action and time invested into that general interest can then transform into a specialty for us (if this is what we desire).
This specialty can then become our passion. Our passion can then become our life’s work (if acted upon appropriately).
Placing a stake in a general interest may just be the hardest part.
Becoming a specialist is a fulfilling endeavor.
The best part is that you can start today.
Plant the stake of your commitment and take a step towards becoming a specialist today.
Cheers to lifelong learning,
Adam Bartley
PARTING NOTE
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