The sad reality is nobody gives an F, if you are competent across multiple dimensions. You can be a competent software engineer with a very good business sense. However, a better programmer than you is going to get the software engineer role and a better salesperson is going to get that sales role. You will be left to grinding in a org that treats you as a cost centre.
If your theory was correct we would live in a world run by specialists. But it’s actually generalists that thrive, start, scale and run successful companies. Specialist work for generalists.
* Certain kinds of generalists with skills at starting and running successful companies start and run successful companies
The generalists that don’t have the particular intersection of skills to be CEO end up being outcompeted by specialists for specialized roles. See: poor wages and working conditions for unskilled workers, who certainly have skills outside of work, but no skills that matter enough in the economy to get specialized jobs
Same is true for specialists. Only certain kinds of specialists will be paid highly.
Picking something that is not only interesting to you but also needed by the market is generally a good idea if you want to earn money. Otherwise it’s just a hobby.
"Picking something that is not only interesting to you but also needed by the market" is not always a feasible option. Good for you if you found an in-demand job that is interesting to you, but not everyone can find that.
I match the parent's example almost perfectly. I'm a "good" programmer, "good" teacher and I have a "good" humor. My students (university level) really laugh sometimes at the stupid analogies that I make in class. For instance, this year I teach operating systems concepts, namely processes, synchronization, scheduling, etc., with examples from construction workers and things like that (I've self built a terrace this past summer, that is why I use construction analogies - cement, paint, etc.). Some kids even say that they won't probably forget some aspects of the class because how funny (and stupid) some of the examples are.
But getting tenured? Here, where I live (Western Europe), only the number of papers and european projects you've been into matters, even if the outcome of the "research" of those papers or projects is nothing to be seen (who really controls that?).
Existing systems - especially heavily ossified ones, such as academia - are the worst at rewarding exceptional novelty as described by GP. They tend to reward conformism (exceptional conformism, sure!).
If you feel like you’re reaching a glass ceiling, don’t be afraid to go outside that box. Record some lectures and put them online. Self publish a book. Start your own school. Etc. (The exact way you can color outside those lines will heavily depend on your context, but you want to be coloring outside the lines).
> If you feel like you’re reaching a glass ceiling, don’t be afraid to go outside that box. Record some lectures and put them online. Self publish a book. Start your own school.
Yeah, I have an introductory programming course that I'm developing (like how to think algorithmically with flowcharts and pseudo-code for beginners) adapted from another class I teach, and I'm exploring teaching platforms such as Thinkific and Teachable. I also have some other courses (building a 16-bit OS from scratch, basic data structures, etc.) that I would like to develop as well.
This semester I have a lot of class hours, but next semester I plan to put them online (and maybe do a Show HN).
But thanks for your words! It is a confirmation that I really need to do something else (by the side, at least).
Those are very good skills to have if you want to found a startup, or if you are less ambitious, you can build a side hustle that can turn into something that eventually covers all your costs. With good programming and business skills, you'll also stand out as a freelancer / consultant.
On the bright side, outside of a professional context people might care about the multiple interests and dimensions, and might find it fascinating enough to share experiences together.
