Specialization

[Sergeant Thorne]

Little bit of a break from the norm...

Science-fiction author Robert Heinlein once said, "A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects."

I'm not familiar with the author, but kind of an interesting thought. It seems that in reality, at some point, competition will always drive people to specialization. At the same time being very capable is a highly desirable goal, and one that I feel like I'd lost sight of for a while there.

[flip]

This is what I've always said. None of the people we admire most these days had a formal education. They were all self-taught. Todays education system has dumbed people down so much it's pitiful.

EDIT: I miss the days you could be anything you wanted to be.

[Spidey]

I have a couple of dozen or more skills I have learned over my lifetime.

Most of my skill sets revolve around the crafts…

Carpentry
Masonry
Carpet Laying
Drywall
Plumbing
Electrical
Etc…

One I went to school for…Electronics

And, one I learned as my profession…Printing

There is only one I make my living at, but I also know every aspect of what my business does, ( I do no less than three jobs ) most all of my craft skills helped me build my business, but electronics is mostly a hobby now.

So yea…I have to agree with the guy. Also Thorne is correct, relative to a profession.

[flip]

It’s maddening. We’re asked to produce job-ready graduates with technical expertise and soft skills, who become innovators and “intrapreneurs” at the flick of a switch. Well, you may not always get all that in one person! I think the job of universities is to build what some call T-shaped individuals – a deep column of narrow expertise, capped by substantial breadth. That means more multi-disciplinary and experiential learning, and lots of opportunities for interactive problem-solving inside and outside the classroom. It also means acknowledging a digital reality: facts are cheap and accessible, but people who can generate ideas and think creatively are priceless.

[Grendel]

For the guys that are missing out -- it's not too late to learn some skillz !

[Duper]

The quote is from Robert Heinlein, said by Lazarus Long in the book Time Enough for Love.

[vision]

I for one welcome our insect overlords.

[callmeslick]

I for one welcome our insect overlords.

hilarious.

[Tunnelcat]

Hell, I paid for an education to specialize in Geology, which I did use for years. But I've learned a bunch of other stuff on my own.

I can cook, sew, repair cars and boats and do auto bodywork. There's those useful house electrical and plumbing skills, paint, drywall and landscaping jobs like repair and install irrigation systems. I can climb trees with spurs (used to, getting too old now), use a chainsaw and any other hand and power tool and split wood with an axe. I like to make stained glass windows, do hand drafting and CAD work and even fly an airplane, although I'm not a licensed pilot. I'm a quintessential renaissance woman.

[callmeslick]

I went to school for Biochemistry and got a minor in Fine Arts along the way, so that pretty much sums of my view of diversity.

[Top Gun]

I...have a degree in physics, which I'm not using. So yeah.

But on the other hand, I can teach kids calculus! And I have good hand-eye coordination and know my way around a toolbox, so I could probably do your average handiwork if I have need to.

[Krom]

Don't take plumbing or electrical work lightly, it usually isn't very complicated but it still requires a decent amount of skill and experience to really do well or efficiently.

[snoopy]

I'm looking for a job right now... and I'll tell you - I think you need to have a specialty in BS to get a job on my field right now.

I have a degree in mechanical engineering, but have made the switch over to RF/electrical/systems engineering. I'm working on a masters in EE while working full time, so it's going slow.

Job offerings seem to be looking for candidates that have all these titles and specific areas of experience. It isn't good enough to have experience with RF systems and an ability to learn quickly and efficiently in a team... you have to have a billion hours on CST, a million hours on Matlab, and at least two years spent servicing satellites in space with chewing gum and a bic lighter. It seems that there's this big focus on qualifications and experience with this or that product... and not much of a focus on which soft skills. I guess maybe it's hard to put concrete values on soft skills, and therefore on job descriptions. It's frustrating for me, because on one hand my resume looks like I don't have very much experience (if you just look at number of years, "badges") - but I've got really strong soft skills and learn very quickly. If I could land an interview, I'm pretty convinced that I could impress and get offers.. if I could just get interviews. With my strong hand of soft skills, it seems like it's hard to make a sheet of paper that does me justice... and does look like I'm just a slacker who only lists soft skills because he's got nothing better to put there.

On the other hand, I've done a bit of interviewing/hiring at my current company and it's amazing how people that are complete failures can make a resume that makes them look like a million bucks. You go to interviews and you end up with these people that only have a vague clue about anything related to the job, and don't give you any concrete answers the whole time you're talking to them. You walk out with this vague idea that they have a lot to hide.... Finally when you give in and hire someone that seems to be "good enough" you find out that you have made a big mistake...they work poorly with others, they really didn't have any clue about the job that you were hiring them for, and they pump out about two hour's work of productivity on a good week.

I'm thoroughly disappointed with the state of the American job market. My co-workers are inept, and everyone else seems to be looking for their type more than they are looking for people like me with soft skills.

[Jeff250]

I've been meaning to learn how to cook. At this point, I have none of the skills, none of the tools, and very little free time, but I feel like it should still be possible somehow. Does anyone have any advice?

[Sergeant Thorne]

Two pieces of advice, Snoopy, even though you really probably ought to be giving me advice, but just the same: don't undervalue yourself. It sounds like you know the kind of people that are out there--guess what? So does the company that's hiring. Unless you're just shooting too high (someone who's inexperienced but a quick learner really has no business applying for a management level or lead position), don't think too much of the wish lists associated with job openings. If you have the skills to get the job done, sell yourself! Good people are hard to come by, and nobody knows this better than the company that has to try to find these good people.

Are you sure you're looking at the right positions? Maybe it's where you want to be, but not where you start? I don't know. I suspect that if you break in at the right place, a decade down the road you'll have all of these qualifications which seemed so ludicrous. At the same time, unless a qualification is a deal-breaking requirement, a company will probably settle for a lot less than their ideal, as long as they're satisfied that you'll be an asset. Everyone wants the best when they're making out their Christmas List requirements list. No one's going to ask for second best. Don't let it trouble you. Maybe you need to be more vague with your resume?

I say this purely as someone who has seem the hiring process from the inside of a company that needs someone to fill a seat so they can continue to make money. It's easy to find a prospect daunting looking at it from the outside. People are just people, and business is just business. Bad employees are hired every day all over the world, so if you know what you're doing what makes you think you don't have a shot?

[Sergeant Thorne]

I've been meaning to learn how to cook. At this point, I have none of the skills, none of the tools, and very little free time, but I feel like it should still be possible somehow. Does anyone have any advice?

Just to start with something relatively simple that you like and have always wanted to make. I'm no chef, but I've always enjoyed making various things, and people tell me I'm good at it (just attention to detail). Take a weekend and try a few breakfast foods. I've heard that good eggs are an indicator of a good cook. There are so many different ways to make eggs--that's where I started. I learned something that my family didn't seem to know, growing up--once you brown a scrambled egg you've ruined it. Pancakes are fun. Meats are fun (I love meat). There's nothing like homemade breads or biscuits. Just have fun and keep your eyes open (unless you make the mistake of dropping water into smoking oil in a fry pan... then you can close them).

[Tunnelcat]

I've been meaning to learn how to cook. At this point, I have none of the skills, none of the tools, and very little free time, but I feel like it should still be possible somehow. Does anyone have any advice?

Good cooking is an art, and I'm not even that good at it. At least I don't poison myself and it's edible. But if you're serious, go to a cooking school or find someone willing to teach you their secrets, because to do it really good, you need to learn from someone who's mastered it. My grandfather took Chinese Cuisine cooking lessons for the fun of it. I wished I had picked some of that up, because he made some really good food and I can't duplicate it.

[callmeslick]

I'm looking for a job right now... and I'll tell you - I think you need to have a specialty in BS to get a job on my field right now.

well, best of luck to you, but your overall description is sort of harsh. I found just the opposite, but my skillset is different. I have speciality skills in the medical laboratory business, and (something that wouldn't come out until an interview) certain organizational/people skills. Literally, I have been bombarded with job and interview offers, and was able to cherry pick until I came across the consultant gig I chose to occupy myself with.

[flip]

I'll tell you a secret, and I'm no chef, but what ever you are cooking, as soon as you smell it, when it releases it's aroma into the air, it is done Then it's all a matter of finding a good ratio of whatever you are combining.