3 ms·
Someone told me you gotta have a "T shaped" skillset. Well, how else could it be? I've never met any one who is just a straight line deep. Everyone is is an ups
by systemvoltage 6y ago
Someone told me you gotta have a "T shaped" skillset. Well, how else could it be? I've never met any one who is just a straight line deep. Everyone is is an upside down triangle with multiple spikes at the bottom (their specializations) otherwise you couldn't have gained the specialized knowledge without learning the general stuff. But that's a stretch, let's not deduce someone's career into a couple of difference shapes. Careers are complex as they evolve sort of in a chaotic system of professional environments.
T-shaped is largely a made up concept without any real observations, and it sounds good initially but after contemplation it falls apart. One of those urban-legends that keeps circulating in big corps.
- sokoloff 6y agoHow else could it be? It could be everyone was broad with little depth in a way that depth without some amount of breadth is harder to realize.
- ghaff 6y agoThere clearly is a spectrum though. A professor at a research university is almost certainly more specialized than a science writer, at least insofar as the science is concerned.
- swyx 6y ago100% agree - its a meme because it appears as a hiring criteria in the Valve handbook and Valve is successful therefore T shaped must be a great quality to have. T shaped neatly sidesteps any mention of tradeoffs. Have your cake and eat it too! What utter nonsense. Why not Pi shaped or Comb shaped? (google those - they exist).