Niche or Broad?

Do you want to be a Generalist or a Specialist? Not since the days of debating the Chicken and Egg have people struggled with what steps to take first in order to develop a successful career.

YouTube comments:

“People may be confused by how he means to specialize. To specialize doesn’t mean going into one thing and ignoring everything else. That actually would be pretty much impossible. Could you imagine if all typography was black and white because no one who knows typography knows good color theory? Your niche is like a tree. People are looking for that great big oak! But you need roots to support that tree. And if those roots are big and strong it can even be a selling point for the tree. Have you ever went “Wow this tree has some cool looking roots. All twisty and woven together.”

“This is really interesting. I am 100% sold on niching, I think it’s inevitable if you want to build a sustainable business. But I’ve never seen the external/internal comparison before. This should totally put to bed the concerns people have about niching down. Stay curious and try new things, but only sell the ONE thing. Use all your learnings on the stuff you do behind the scenes to make the ONE thing even better. Very inspiring!”

“I really wish I heard this advice about 25 years ago when I finished my first degree in engineering. I was too afraid to specialize further and I ended up generalizing more. Asa result, my degree ended up failing to produce meaningful results. I would have also had time to spend on other interests. So I’m middle age now, doesn’t mean I can’t apply this information now. I always thought keeping my options open was a good idea and to some degree it is but there’s a point where you have to put limits on it. I had no limits. There’s a Russian proverb, ‘Chase two rabbits and you’ll go hungry.'”

Germany to smooth entry for foreign skilled workers

The German government is drafting new plans to smooth the entry process for foreign skilled workers. It’s a move that companies say is long overdue: The country’s aging workforce is a growing liability, while positions in IT and software development are notoriously hard to fill. More companies are now looking abroad for help.

YouTube comments:

“I am a Spanish Software engineer living in Germany, I love this country. The language barrier was difficult, but my german wife helped me a lot.”

“German companies should start paying more, to begin with. I have hard time believing they can attract top talent with present level of salaries. Even their doctors are leaving en masse to other countries.”

“To compare German passports with Titanic tickets might be too harsh of a comparison. But if German thinks its innovation can be fueled by mercenaries, that kind of human resource policy is doomed to fail. Companies give options and shares to encourage employees to give their best and be loyal. There’s a reason electric cars are re-imagined in the USA, by immigrants, not in Germany where all the automobile giants reside. But well, some people try to steer the Titanic, some probably are proud just sinking with the tickets in their hands. If there’s a book that fits German’s approach, it’s “Only the Paranoid Survive”, the thing is 🙂 Germany often is paranoid about the wrong thing.”

“There is a very specific and a systematic reason as to why in the 50 years of the software/Internet/IT industry, there has NOT been a single non-American company which has gone on to become a globally profitable, consumer product, and a publicly traded company. Germany still lives in the 19th century when it comes to their traditional companies. You have to accept the fact that English is a global language. No one speaks German in Asia, for example, which is the two thirds of the world population.”

“They are more skilled workers in Germany than they need, the problem is the companies require you to speak fluent German language which is impossible in one year. They need us but they don’t want us!”

New green card system to tackle shortage of skilled workers

December 2022. The German cabinet agreed in principle to immigration reform in a bid to secure more skilled workers. Europe’s biggest economy is currently experiencing a lack of roughly half a million people to its workforce and wants to make up for the shortfall.

The federal government said it wanted to boost immigration and training to tackle a skills shortage which is hampering the country’s economy at a time of weakening growth. Meanwhile, an aging population is increasing pressure on the public pension system.

Germany is also keen on granting immigrants from the Western Balkan countries that are not in the EU, such as Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia, access to their job market for an unlimited amount of time. The proposals to amend the Skilled Immigration Act, first introduced in March 2020, include an “opportunity card” for jobseekers.

YouTube comments:

“Germany is a great country to move — But living in Germany is difficult, salary is relatively low, bureaucrats, high taxes, immigrants can never feel german even of they acquire citizenship. In Canada you feel Canadian right after you arrive there. Germans are not that open minded as people from English speaking countries. Language barrier is real!”

“The title should be the shortage of CHEAP labor shortage.”

“That is fantastic news for US citizens, cuz i don’t think any US citizen want to give up their citizenship for any other country. US allows dual citizenship. I am sure many Americans would love to live in a social democratic country.”

“The solution is simple, make English the 2nd official language along with German. It would facilitate literally EVERYTHING in an instant. Plus, It would be a safe bet that skilled workers would come in droves! What happens is, understandbly so, most workers prefer to exclusively migrate to countries in whom they don’t have to start to study a new language from scratch to be able to integrate and maybe after a decade will be successful at filing their tax reports in German. Examples are Malta, Singapore and a few others. It would make Germany 50 times as attractive for international job seekers who would traditionally rather opt for Canada or UK….or if they happen to be plastic surgeons or Astronauts with half a mil in the bank: the US.”

Is it better to be a specialist or a generalist?

In his new book, Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World, David Epstein, Sports Illustrated senior writer and New York Times bestselling author, argues that the path to specialist expertise is the exception, not the rule. Drawing from interviews and studies of successful individuals in a variety of fields, Epstein shows time and time again that our greatest strength is the ability to think broadly.

Generalist vs. Specialist

When pursuing a career you can either be a generalist, who knows many skills and ideas, or a specialist, who focuses on becoming an expert in one area. Depending on how much training and the depth of study you undergo can determine which one you are and how marketable you are in the job field.

Learning the differences between being a generalist and being a specialist can help you determine which level of responsibility you want and which one is best for you. In this article, we define what a generalist is, explain what a specialist is and compare the two roles and weigh the pros and cons of each.

    Take more responsibility!

    With further training it is often like with good resolutions at the beginning of the year: First you are euphoric, then sober and in the end it becomes torture. When it comes to digital know-how, executives and politicians seem to be going through the euphoric phase. Since many are propagating digital training as the key to success in the digital world. But no matter how loud they shout, only a few will be moved to act. Why?

    5 reasons why employee training increases sales

    If you want to build a long-term successful company and hold your own against the competition, you need well-trained and reliable employees. It is not enough to rely on the existing knowledge of the employees and to blindly trust processes.

    But to always look for new approaches and also to enable further training for employees. The following article therefore describes the definition, the various forms of employee training and five advantages. In addition, there are the costs and tips for implementing the further training.

    Signs you should quit your job

    Have you ever felt like the job you’re at isn’t for you? In this video, we will be talking about why you should quit your job for the better. Jordan Peterson has been helping many many people understand what to do with their life.

    YouTube comments:

    “You’ll know that quitting was the right decision when after you’ve quit you feel relieved. Even if the path ahead is not clear, but you feel freer, happier, you’ll know that you’ve made the right decision.”

    “Worked at my last job for 7 years. The 1st 4 years were great. We had an amazing manager who was very organized, compassionate and knew how to inspire the team. She got mad 1 day after dealing with her boss, who was constantly on her back, picking at her over stupid little things. She walked out that day and never looked back. We are still friends and in contact with each other. When she walked out her boss took over as the team’s manager. Another 3 years there with her being manager was a 3 year nightmare. She put me in place as the team lead and wanted me to rat on the other team members. When I wouldn’t rat on them she berated me, sabotaged my work at every turn and took credit for things I did. At the end of that 3 years it hit boiling point and I walked out with no plan in place, knowing that at 61 years old it was likely no other place would hire me. So I decided to follow my lifelong dream as an artist. Best life decision I ever made.”

    “I’ve worked at the tech giants and most situations are toxic. It’s something that is not talked about. Psychological abuse is subtle (sometimes) but ubiquitous. It’s a huge problem and the elephant in the room. HR will rarely defend employees. They are there to protect the company. Period.”

    5 Types of Bullsh*t Jobs

    David Rolfe Graeber (1961 – 2020) was an American anthropologist and anarchist activist. His influential work in economic anthropology, particularly his books Debt: The First 5,000 Years(2011) and Bullshit Jobs (2018), and his leading role in the Occupy movement, earned him recognition as one of the foremost anthropologists and left-wing thinkers of his time.

    Die at 25. Buried at 75.

    YouTube comments:

    “Being a truck driver…I get paid to go on road trips and listen to Rogan, other podcasts, and music all day.”

    “Not in the warehouse world. No no no. If you tell your boss you got 3 hours of work done in 1 hour they will then dump everything on you. They will continue adding to your plate. You’ll get the opposite of fired. Youll get so burnt out and stressed that you quit.”

    “Some people die at 25 and aren’t buried until 75.”

    “The absolute worst thing in the world is knowing you can finish all of your tasks in one hour but you have to stretch it out over 8. Pure torture.”