flâneur

Ask HN: Is it better to generalise or specialise as a developer? | Hacker News

news.ycombinator.com · 4,929 words · saved by 1 readers

I find different kinds of projects keep me interested. One month web dev, next month apps, the next month microcontrollers, next automation, etc. I often hear it’s good to find a niche. Wondering if anyone can speak to the benefits of doing so? Thanks! If you want to work at a smaller company or found a startup, being a generalist is a great asset. It also puts you closer to the top of the hierarchy if you can make yourself invaluable to the business/yourself by being a “Swiss army knife.” By that, I mean everyone wants you around, because you can probably solve upwards of 90% of the problems that arise. Of course, you can’t be a full generalist, you will end up having some language or tech stack you’re more adept in. That’s fine. You’ll probably end up being “T” shaped. But to reiterate: if you want to make good money and you love a niche topic, specialize in it. Then go and work at a company with the scale/needs for that specific niche. Otherwise, if you’re a generalist, you’re bette

Neither; or both: be T or ∏ shaped. Have broad, (relatively) shallow knowledge in many domains, and (relatively) deep knowledge in one or two that are complementary to each other, and for which your broad knowledge can be used to work with teams having more specialized understanding. Ha! Never heard of “ ∏ shaped”, but I think that’s the best way. Two areas opens up more opportunities both in your org/company and elsewhere. It’s far far easier to be 90th percentile in 2 fields than 1st percentile in one, and you get relatively the same benefits. This applies much further down the…

saved by

related reading