| I think you are very much on point with your comments. I am one of those people who are actually capable of going from MIG welding to designing websites, writing iOS apps, developing embedded hardware and software as well as GHz-range electronics with FPGA's, mechanical design and FEA. The only option for someone like me seems to be to run your own business. Nobody is likely to pay for the combined skill set. Which means that having these skills is both a blessing and a curse depending on your point of view. I can take any product from drawing to completion. My resume scares most employers. And, in many ways, rightly so. Hiring someone who can do the work of five people is very risky. You loose one person and your entire team is gone. And, of course, there is no way that one person can have the productivity offered by a team of specialists. In the end, someone with my skill set either ends-up doing their own thing or in a managerial position where the wide knowledge base and context gained from actually being able to do the work can be harnessed to guide and assist a team in achieving the required goals. As an entrepreneur, having a wide skill set can be priceless so long as you start letting go as soon as you can start hiring specialists. This can be hard for some. It's great to be able to do it all when you want to launch something and save a bunch of money. Once launched, you need to divest yourself from responsibilities as quickly as possible because you will hit productivity walls and you simply can't focus on everything at the same time. The age of the generalist is pretty far gone. If employment is the goal it is best to focus on one subject and become really good at it. |