Are You A Specialist or Jack Of All Trades?
With the economy so unstable and a personal down-shift in the number of good-paying projects, I have begun to search for a full-time job, or at least a part-time job to fill in the financial gaps. My preparations for this search has included some deep thinking about my skills, assets, and what it is I really offer a client and how different that is from working in a company. Based upon my discussions with contractors, recruiters, and line managers, I’m finding that the current needs of organizations differ enormously from the work I’ve done for the past twenty years as a freelancer. For me, the shift from “one-stop-shop” web designer and marketing writer to some sort of singular role on a team within an organization that creates web sites is a paradigm shift.
This article is part therapy and part research about what we offer to our clients as freelancers and how that translates back into corporate life.
What Is A Freelancer Anyway?
Almost twenty years ago I chose to set out on my own rather than hire a baby sitter for my new-born daughter. In leaving the corporate world where I had been a proposal manager for about ten years, I found myself with enormous amounts of freedom to choose what I wanted to do along with enormous amounts of worry about how to get the project to do that thing. Each person who makes the decision to strike out on their own has a different reason for doing so and a different personality and approach to achieving making a living through freelancing.
I became a freelancer because I’m a round peg in a world of square holes. My problem with corporate work has always been not being able to “mind my own business.” I have always wanted to help when I see a problem with a project, whether it means crossing lines of responsibility or my own authority. I always needed the big picture to function. I’m a natural born organizer. In fact, over the years I discovered that I was happiest in a collaborative small collegial environment and pretty unhappy and unsuccessful in a top-down larger setting where I was expected to do my job and only my job. I got bored quickly. I also had a tendency to feel an ownership or strong responsibility about the quality of the project, in my case, the proposal. Responding to government RFPs requires a highly structured process that relies on the various parts of the project, namely contracts, legal, technical, marketing, and production to each perform their jobs flawlessly on a tight schedule. It caused me great stress that, although I was called a proposal manager, I really was managing my section of writing and not the look, quality, or timeliness of the whole package. The realization that my personality was not a good fit for the work I was doing had reached a peak right at the time I had my first child and the company could not support part-time or telecommuting. I really appreciate my time in the corporate world for teaching me not only the skills of marketing and technical writing but also a lot about myself. Freelancing came naturally to me (although the business side still is not my strong suite).
So, to me, taking on an entire project; from purchasing a domain, serving as webmaster of a web host; designing, storyboarding, coding, illustrating, and marketing a site as well as researching and creating content was a natural and fun thing to do. I discovered through each project that I loved being a “jack of all trades.”
The definition of freelancing to me is the ability to create an entire product for a client, be it a website, marketing campaign, newsletter, blogging site, or web portal; from soup to nuts. Freelancing is forming a small business where I am the sole-proprietor. I define what I can do for a client, how to market my services, how to charge for those services, and how to find out and fulfill a client’s needs. For me, this means learning many skills and also discovering those parts of a project that I’m not good at and learning how to sub-contract specialists to perform a discrete task or provide a feature requested by the client. However, my “Managing Editor” approach to work may not be the case for others who take the freelance plunge. Which brings me to the other type of freelancer: the specialist.
Specializing As a Business Model
A lot of you are perhaps thinking, “Why are these articles always about web designers?” There is another very active type of freelance worker who takes on projects that create a single product, be it an article, book, software application, or graphic image such as a corporate brand. I call these types of freelancers “specialists.” You can describe your work in terms of the software applications you know or the programming languages you can use, or the specific methodology you can apply to a single task. Your job description really hasn’t changed from when you may have worked for a company as a programmer, an analyst, or a writer. You have taken your skills from a large milieu where you had to follow the corporate rules into self-employment which is liberating because you can concentrate on the types of projects you like to do best and set your fees, hours of work, and amount of work you wish to take on according to your needs.
A Move Towards Complexity
I read a lot of technical blogs about design and web development as well as the state of open source software and I’m seeing an interesting phenomenon that I believe is pretty normal, however painful for a generalist such as myself. The process involved in web design is becoming more complex as the project management principles that have historically been applied to software development flow into the more free-wheeling internet. Where before, one person could plan, design, and implement a web site if they had the skills to code in HTML, CSS, and Javascript, as well as experience in graphic arts and design. Knowledge of Adobe Photoshop, Dreamweaver, and maybe Fireworks also helped. Today, the web standards organization is introducing a new version of HTML (version 5) and a new version of CSS (version 3) that offers many more features that provide a lot more control of what you see and can do in your browser.
This new paradigm is a melding of programming and design that lends itself to development using teams of people with individual specialties rather than a single “jack of all trades.”
The designer might not be the person who applies this code any more; rather the designer provides the layout or blueprint used by a web developer who is more comfortable creating using code. This new paradigm is a melding of programming and design that lends itself to development using teams of people with individual specialties rather than a single “jack of all trades.”
A single designer can still create gorgeous websites that offer feasts for the eyes as well as high levels of interactivity, but these sites need to be maintained by people who know how to code in HTML and CSS in order to update a site’s content. I see a lot of gorgeous sites but they are mostly designers creating sites for other artists and are not the nitty-gritty websites of organizations. These less artful and more practical sites are being created so that users with some training can update content without the need for designers or programmers through the use of software systems called content management systems (CMS). I design and build sites using one such CMS called Joomla! I can still do it for small organizations or individuals who typically are not computer savvy and depend upon me to guide them through the various steps of design, implement, customize, and publish. I use off-the-shelf products that do not require much coding to provide the features that my clients want. I think this type of website development is becoming a niche market.
What Companies Seem To Want
This leads me back to my decision to look for full-time work. But, I have made a discovery that I should have realized: the corporate world seems to be the originator of this move from “jack of all trades” to specialization. I don’t know where I fit when I read job announcements for web designers and find that all that is wanted by such positions is someone who can create wire frames and story boards. Other job descriptions for web developers that read like a Chinese restaurant menu of software acronyms. Then there are descriptions of job requests for web content managers that range from performing copy writing to maintaining proprietary software repositories of content. The over-arching theme of these ads is the production line. Each person has their small role to play in the web site development project, all run like a software development project where each department is completely separate from another.
Specialists are winning the business battle, but I’m not sure whether the loss of the generalist designer such as myself is a good thing or not. This system seems awfully removed from the client and their constituents.
Preach it, sister. I am a web/digital generalist in my full-time job, and Im about to leave it to move to a new city. I dont have enough freelance projects to keep me afloat, so Ill need a job. Looking for work – whether its temporary or full-time – is daunting, and Im also struck by how specialized all the work is. Its disheartening, because not only dont I meet all the very specific qualifications, but I know that in any new position I will be shut out of parts of a project where Id prefer to take part.
I suggest looking for work that references AGILE development as a process. That tends to be more all-inclusive and less assembly-line, and often AGILE projects happen in smaller organizations that can use a generalist.
I so agree with you in ths article. I am a web/graphic designer. I been in the field for some time now, and saw this migration of Jacks 2 Specials. I do contract for agencies and I am a freelancer.
Doing work for agencies helps me out a when it comes to processes and meeting other specialize people, that I end up using for sub-contracts for my freelance projects. I say go for it. And it a great way to study how agencies do things.
Thank for the great article.
As a freelancer who got into the business because of my love for design, I am happy to see a slight swing towards specialization. I am *very* grateful for my background as a generalist though, because it informs how I see a project as a system.. Fortunately, now, I am able to sub-contract to talented folks for programming, writing etc.. and can take on a greater number of interesting and engaging projects – doing what I do best.
Nice piece btw.
I think there is room for a generalist in the corporate world but it’s in a project manager type role. There you can use the bits and pieces you know about each step to plan, organize and help out when needed.
Project Manager is an interesting idea because you are correct that one sees the big picture. In my area you have to have a Project Management certification to take on that role. I call myself a “Managing Editor” because I do that organizing and troubleshooting role during large web design projects.
My point in the article is that the transition from freelancer back into the corporate world is not a smooth one psychologically or practically because of the difference between being a generalist and sub-contracting the specifics when you are freelancing and having a single job on a team in a corporate or Government setting. The transition from being one’s own boss to having a boss is another difficult challenge. Clients can be seen as bosses but way more demanding (lol). I just find the titles and job descriptions are also very different than the type of web design project work I’ve been doing as a freelancer.
Gives one a reason to stay freelancing in spite of the slow economy.
That’s true, but most freelancers are probably better at one particular field/skill even though they have to wear many (all) hats. The key is you’ve got to sell yourself to a corporation just like we have to sell ourselves to potential clients. For instance, you can describe how your freelancing experience gave you a wide array of skills and experience, from marketing to accounting to communication that can help that business.
I’d say it’s fairly easy for someone to get really good at just one thing, but to find people who are really good at one thing and competent/good at a vast array of other skills is much more difficult.
Either way, I’m with you on that last sentence. Freelancing is the way to go.
A very thoughtful and thought provoking article.
While specialization allows for a more in depth focus on a tighter set of skills, I believe that having generalized skills also helps with the overall quality of the product.
For example a designer who has a basic understanding of code will understand better how their design choices affects the next step of the product.
Paula, you have a good point (which is my argument when in interviews), namely that seeing the entire project as a system (as was stated earlier) helps one ensure that all the pieces of a project work together as an integrated whole. I think managers in corporate settings are supposed to keep the individual roles and tasks integrated, but my experience is that the programmers seem to code without the design and requirements completed and so the customer’s needs get short shrift. The person who could point out that the design is not being followed doesn’t exist. Organizations can learn from freelancers.
I agree with you Paula. I stronlgy believe that a Jack of all trades is much more versatile and effective for persons in the art field. If you look at it, through the execution of a design projects various technologies inwhich will stipulate particular roles, will have to communicate at some point of the stage in the process. A designer will most like commuincate with the front end developer to accomplish job, so if the designer knows afore time about the skills a developer used, then particular mistakes will be avoided.
Kemar and Rita, I agree. Rita, unfortunately larger companies are so compartmentalized they don’t see the value of communicating beyond their guarded fiefdoms.
I was lucky to have worked for a big company, but given as much freedom as I wanted to grow and expand my role until I was responsible for all the aspects of the web/software project.
By delimiting the roles there are many misconceptions. I know of many programmers who scoff at the need for good design, not understanding the importance and detail of basic color and form.
Often database programmers can provide ways to help the mid-level and front level code work better and faster. Designers are often not aware of all the features that a good programmer, in any area of the project, can provide to enhance the user experience. Then add in things such as SEO, copy writing, and usability. A good jack-of-all-trades can see how it all fits together.
Kemar, I know that I appreciate working with a designer who at least understands these things. It makes a programmers life much easier!
I think havin a generalized skills helps more the freelancer. , as a graphic designer i try always to decode by my own my designs while iam decoding sometimes I think how an other programmer will awat with my design.
In my experience is better to be an specialist because you can get better jobs.
Every company needs an expert in something and those jobs are better paid.
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“El que mucho abarca, poco aprieta”.
For developers, I still see ads with the endless lists of acronyms and languages. Then all the Adobe apps are added, sprinkled with PowerPoint and video editing. They may just be looking for a PHP coder, but instead it seems like they want a master of all trades.
My guess is that its the result of HR people submitting ads with no real clue for whats needed, but its often hard to decipher.
From a management perspective though, I think more specialists should be utilized. If only thats who the would look for…
I have the same problem of not minding my own business. The variety of problems that float around can be very appealing.
Though I have only being working full time for four years, I intend to skill up (in Drupal
and then consider the switch to freelance.
sime:
Drupal kind of requires you to be a master of many trades, eh?
But wow, what a GREAT payoff…
Why don’t we be ‘Jack of all trades and Master of one’?
Poch, I think that we are as freelancers but the corporate and non-profit world and especially the Government isn’t organized for the most part to work with generalists. The labor categories, pay scales, and all that Human Resources stuff (especially the keywording and computer-reading of resumes) doesn’t support generalists as much as it does specialists with lists of software and programming languages that identify them as to which slot they belong to.
I can do a lot of stuff personally, but have focused lately on a more specific niche and advertised my services as such. It was better in the end since there are many clients who are interested in this niche and specializing in it meant better skills and portfolio.
I think as a “Jack of all trade”, it will be easier to look for senior job such as project manager, team leader, because thats where a “jack of all trade” shines.
However those kind of jobs don’t come often as part-time or casual
I’ve been a generalist when it comes to writing, but after two years I’m now doing my best to focus on specializing into copywriting and hopefully a content writer for e-commerce sites. The thing is most of the clients I meet online are looking for general article writers who can produce articles for directories.
Hopefully I’ll be able to build my copywriting portfolio as I continue to take small to medium-sized jobs in need of this skill.
I’m on the fence with the specialist v jack of all trades posts that appear. Why I agree and can see the benefits of being a specialist within a particular area and outsourcing other work to another specialist, I can’t escape the fact that as a creative person, whether I am designing a website or a flyer its exactly the same, just the medium is different. My creative thought process and actions don’t change. So I think if your capable of designing something or enjoy being versatile then why not extend your creativity to logos, flyers, websites etc rather than just sticking to one particular speciality. The same would apply to development technologies etc
I’m a freelance writer and I’d say I’m a jack ( or jane ) of all trades. I also do SEO and social media stuff on my work. I think that being a multi-skilled freelancer can help you give short term gigs to make ends meet, but if you want to build that brand ( yourself ) and get higher rates — specializing in a certain field goes a long way. You get to be an expert where you can demand the price you want.
I had an interesting interview yesterday that is the perfect example of the issue of how to transition to full time work from freelancing. I met with the contracting firm for the preliminary talk and the discussion ended with the guy saying that the client was doing only a 20 minute phone interview and didn’t like hiring freelancers for this job that was a blog developer’s dream because the couldn’t be micromanaged! I replied that they were right. Needless to say I didn’t get the phone interview. They really had no clue what they wanted but it wasn’t a holistic thinker.
I love AGILE Development. Great comment.
Oh wow: Freelancers can’t be micromanaged?
And that’s a BAD thing?!
:O
Hi, I think you articulated what I’ve been seeing in the IT world in general. I was an employee in Sun’s Professional Services group. We had experts that were experts in only one field, and others that were experts in multiple areas. What I’m seeing now is that if you have well rounded expertise, the corporate world discounts that has having no expertise, when exactly the opposite is true! There are many reasons for this, but most of it IMHO is that it’s easier to justify the head count to HR and upper management. Also,there is a less noble reason, in that the new head count won’t compete with the existing heads because they have different areas of expertise! When I first started in IT doing deep space tracking radars it was imperative that you knew everything involved with the systems, the hardware, software, math, orbital mechanics, etc. Well roundedness was valued. It no longer is.
I went back to freelancing after being RIF’d from Sun after 9/11, but in 2007 the world quit buying, so I found myself a job doing some Unix sys admin work. That was all they would let me do; and I got bored out of my mind in the 3 years I was there. Well, I’m back freelancing, hope the world is buying again!
Dante, you describe exactly my exasperation with this job hunt thing. I had the same experience in my last full-time job and I think your logic is accurate as to why there is a shift into niches. Also, HR, who are the keepers of the job descriptions use computer scanning for keywords to identify people for jobs. Such keywords are naturally specific, such as .Net, J2EE, HTML, Photoshop, kitchen sink because those are easier to identify than the ability to troubleshoot project deadlines, coordinate content submissions and ensure they work with the software being designed, etc. So the people recruited are already sifted to be specialists even if they aren’t. You have to code your resume like this even to get your foot in the door.
And yes, I also got very bored when I did one thing over and over, in my case proposal writing.
Good luck in your freelancing.
Thank you for the article, as a jack-of-all-trades who recently made the freelance switch, I believe a freelancer cannot survive solely as an expert unless he is part of a team. They need to know the in’s and out’s or at least have resources they can depend on who do. I think a freelancer is really a project manager in anything they do. If they require a skill set, they find it. Simple as that. The corporate world varies from company to company, I believe since our industry is relatively new these skill sets will soon be defined more clearly as time goes by and the companies will have a clearer definition of their needs.
I am currently looking for job and I see a lot of specialized ads for jobs related to websites. I believe that freelancers who are working for non-agency clients need to be jack of all trades people. To do successful website it should have good content, good design, good code, be SEO friendly and mostly help achieving business goals. Anyone who is involved in creating or managing website should think/know about those. Of course in agency or environment with lots of people are more specialized. But then it reminds me a factory, everyone becomes a cog doing same job.
My strongest skill are front-end web development but I am reading and trying heaps of stuff regarding SEO, marketing, copywriting and design. I don’t think I ever will be great designer but I should be able to suggest few things clients relating to design.
I was in the freelancing business a few years ago when I decided to take on a full-time job for a small company. My jack of all trades skills were perfect because of the diversity that was needed. I managed both the website, did printing materials and helped them out generally with these things.
Now I have just made the switch again to freelancer, and I will try to work more as a project manager this time, subcontracting some areas. Being the jack I know what I want (and what I don’t want) which makes it easier to set requirements for my subcontractors. And I could always act as a filter if it is necessary, making small changes to the subcontracted work if the client need it. I think and hope that this is the modern way of working, but time will tell.
In large companies though, I do see the things you are mentioning that specialists are required and the jacks are not as appealing. But I have no interest in working with large companies- there’s just to much hierarchy and a loooong way for decisions.
Thanks for the great article and the great comments. You guys rock!