Should you specialise or generalise?

As a beginner in the cloud space, should you generalise or specialise?

This question is important because it could impact your ability to find your first job in the cloud. It could also affect your job satisfaction and future career prospects.

Many people make mistakes here because they are given the wrong advice. This is what inspired me to write this article.

Before we proceed, let us break down some of the ways you can specialise in the cloud:

• Security
• Networking
• Testing
• Databases etc

As a recommendation for beginners, I suggest generalising in their field of interest. Specializing too early can bring about the following serious issues:

• A lack of real insight into what the specialisation entails
• Limitations in career prospects
• Lack of understanding of cloud interconnectedness

As a beginner, you may not know what the day-to-day tasks of a specialist entail.

Cybersecurity might seem cool from the outside, but once you get into it, you might find it to be quite boring. A lot of time is spent reminding people not to write down their passwords on post-it notes. (This is a gross oversimplification of the cybersecurity industry and is not representative of the actual work that professionals in the field do. Don’t come at me, security people! :p)

This could mean that you spend a lot of time and money trying to break into a specialised industry, only to realise that you hate it once you're in!

Generalising allows you to be involved in various sections of the cloud, giving you a good idea of what the specialist job entails. This will give you more confidence in your decision once you choose to specialise.

Also, it is much easier to transition from a generalist to a specialist than the other way around.

Choosing to specialise reduces the number of available job opportunities.

Most companies don’t need specialists. Instead, they need individuals who can wear multiple hats and perform various tasks. By specialising, you limit your options significantly.

This situation is exacerbated by the fact that most companies that require specialists seek individuals with years of experience, as they encounter problems that generalists on their team are unable to solve.

These companies will not hire beginners for these roles, as those new to the industry lack sufficient experience to tackle these tricky issues. This limitation further restricts your options.

The final reason I encourage beginners to generalise rather than specialise is a simple one.

To be successful as a cloud specialist, you first need to be a good generalist because the cloud is interconnected.

To do security well, you need to understand networking. To be a great database specialist, you need to understand security. Having good knowledge of all components of the cloud will make you a much better specialist.

Don't get me wrong, there is a time and place for specialisation. For example, if you have been in the industry for a number of years and have found a component of the cloud that interests you and you want to specialise in it, then by all means, go ahead and do so. However, if you are looking to break into the cloud industry and don't have much work experience, then your best bet is to become a generalist.

Thanks for attending my TED talk.

If you like this kind of content, then you should subscribe to the newsletter, as I provide actionable tips and advice on breaking into the cloud industry.