4 ms·

I wouldn't try to escape the world of LMSes at all, I'd go straight there if you want stability, precisely because that's where you're "the guy." Being a mid-c

I wouldn't try to escape the world of LMSes at all, I'd go straight there if you want stability, precisely because that's where you're "the guy." Being a mid-career generalist is like not having chosen what degree you're going to graduate college with in your second senior year. You haven't done anything long enough to become an expert at it, to have it be second nature, to be able to teach others, to be able to lead a team at it, to be able to architect it. You're just a very experienced dilettante. Early in your career when you haven't decided what to specialize in, that's cool. Late in your career, when you've specialized for several years in several different things such that you can wear any hat as a senior person, that's also cool. Mid-career? Not so cool in the eyes of companies, where they want specific roles filled, not "find a problem and fix it, rinse, repeat." If you're going to truly escape, then you're essentially restarting your career as a generalist at rung 0, ground floor, grunt work development, and hoping your experience gets recognized and you are allowed to rapidly advance within an organization. Either way, it's not an easy path at this point. (I chose to restart my career about seven years ago, and am just about now "where I was" but in a different field.)

skennedy 14y ago
A mid-career generalist is like not having chosen what degree you're going to graduate college with in your second senior year Well said. However, being a "very experienced dilettante" is exactly what I am hoping to capitalize on. When I left I was managing and mentoring people that were all older than me. Technology XYZ or tried-n-true architecture ABC is not always the best answer. I do not want to specialize because it forces me into a box. Truly escaping and starting at run 0 sounds truly depressing. But then, so does the LMS world.
- vitovito 14y ago
  Then you need to sell yourself directly to someone with hiring power, and skip the HR/phone screen/interview dance. It's possible: I've walked into some positions purely by my reputation. No resume, no interviews, just a conversation and a when-can-you-start. But that means working your network hard, networking more when that's tapped out, and there's no guarantee you'll find something any time soon. Work your LMS network to find people who will recommend you to their friends outside the LMS industry? Find an LMS startup that needs a senior generalist to be the "adult supervision?" Or, yeah, what chaz said: management. Own and run a product team. Product (not project) managers often come from all walks.

skennedy 14y ago

A mid-career generalist is like not having chosen what degree you're going to graduate college with in your second senior year Well said. However, being a "very experienced dilettante" is exactly what I am hoping to capitalize on. When I left I was managing and mentoring people that were all older than me. Technology XYZ or tried-n-true architecture ABC is not always the best answer. I do not want to specialize because it forces me into a box. Truly escaping and starting at run 0 sounds truly depressing. But then, so does the LMS world.

vitovito 14y ago
Then you need to sell yourself directly to someone with hiring power, and skip the HR/phone screen/interview dance. It's possible: I've walked into some positions purely by my reputation. No resume, no interviews, just a conversation and a when-can-you-start. But that means working your network hard, networking more when that's tapped out, and there's no guarantee you'll find something any time soon. Work your LMS network to find people who will recommend you to their friends outside the LMS industry? Find an LMS startup that needs a senior generalist to be the "adult supervision?" Or, yeah, what chaz said: management. Own and run a product team. Product (not project) managers often come from all walks.