3 ms·
Niches can certainly be profitable and stable, but I feel like being a generalist may actually make it more likely that you’ll stumble across a niche or two, si
by hcayless 5y ago
Niches can certainly be profitable and stable, but I feel like being a generalist may actually make it more likely that you’ll stumble across a niche or two, simply by being exposed to more ideas.
- stormthebeach 5y agoCompletely agreed. Cal Newport proposes in So Good They Can't Ignore You that valuable (and therefore rewarding) specialties are only accessible by expanding your "Adjacent Possible" - you can't jump straight into truly niche topics because they are the top of a pyramid which requires a wide base.
- sebmellen 5y agoI will emphasize this — be a generalist until you find a niche or specialization you fall in love with. I have a friend who was a T-shaped generalist, stumbled into cryptography by working on some OIDC server, and then followed his way on to specialize in key interchange mechanisms (not sure exactly what his title is). That’s his job now, at a top ten US tech company, and he’s doing great!