| I am a bit older than you, but I would say most of my life I and my peers have considered myself/me a generalist. I have subject areas where I am much stronger than others, but like you, I excel at "in-the-middle" jobs. I am good at seeing the big picture and connecting the dots among people and teams. That said, its been a constant struggle for recognition and position in companies. When people realize what we can do, they tend to either promote and support, or jail and exploit. I find myself taking specific roles with a hope towards moving up in the organization. Often the role isn't what I really want to do but there isn't another way into the organization without that strategy. It takes time and doesn't always work out. I've tried the consulting role, and very nearly kicked off a serious consulting company with multiple subject areas of focus. It is fun but in the end, you still get hired to do a specific consulting job most of the time, not just to be a generalist and give advice. One exception to that rule in my experience was consulting with startups. You seem to have realized the startup path. I have worked for startups and that was pretty successful for the kind of person we are, but usually higher stress. Also, the startup hopefully pays well enough and is successful, otherwise you find yourself with some pay and some experience but no job when the startup deflates and back to "ok, what to do next"? Others have mentioned product/project management. I've done that too. Product management has been a good match for generalists but without previous PM titles on your resume it can be hard to get the first role. Technical product management is a good way in, but make sure you know the difference between what a product manager vs a technical product manager does. I suggest Pragmatic Marketing training to get a leg up for this. Certifications can help for product or project management in terms of recognition. Long story short, I love being a generalist and I feel we often don't get the respect we deserve. But it can be a hard slog getting through and we are a unique and valuable resource, just like specialists. We're just specialists in being general. :) So best of luck with your pursuits! |