Hey 
First off, when you say generalist, you are talking about industry and not functional right? because strategy across different industry/verticals counts as strategy function. however if u have done a mix of functions, strategy ops marketing etc then it is a generalist profile. should clear that first.

Hi @Baingan 
Yes, I have worked across ops marketing, very briefly in finance (startup was too small)
Strategy is vast and covers a lot of domains, with each industry it differs even further

Founder

@Pillow so I haved worked in core strategy in a corp and startup and I have run a P&L.  strategy after a point of time will become a hard role to optimise for. P&L roles show more growth. the right play typically is to try P&L roles as soon as possible. for strategy folks, roles like category planning/category marketing in ecomms/d2c is a good entry point.

I'm in business strategy and majorly worked across different startups  When looking for a new role, HRs tell me they are looking for specialized experience, or my experiences do not count as they a...

Welcome to Business Roles's Private Community

I'm in business strategy and majorly worked across different startups

When looking for a new role, HRs tell me they are looking for specialized experience, or my experiences do not count as they are less than 2 years (in each company)

I like being a generalist, I have learnt much more than I think I would have in a specialist role

What do you guys think?

I have 4YOE, currently in a seed stage startup

Specialization vs. Generalist debate

Specialization vs. Generalist debate- Grapevine

Welcome to Software Engineers's Private Community

I have been working as full stack developer past 7 years in stacks like react, react native , flutter, spring boot , nest, graphql so on and so forth. So far being generalist has worked for me as I am never out of projects. However recently I met one Engineering manager who advised me to become a specialist in one domain for better growth going forward . How do you all see this specialist vs generalist idea ?

Specialist or generalist .

Tech Lead

I'm interested in getting freelance gigs in generalist roles.

What can make or do to add to my proof of work portfolio?

I have tried blog writing on business and management topics, but they aren't getting me anything 

Background: 6YOE with MBA, business roles across large Companies and startups. India based

Generalist Proof of Work

Consultant

Welcome to Indian Startups's Private Community

Hi folks, thinking of writing a regular mini blog here about my learnings being a generalist in the ecosystem.
I currently handle growth at an ecom startup and have previously been through 2-3 startups + a large corporate in my 7 year career.

#1: Why you should not stay only in startups

Recently started reflecting on salaries of many peers who are also startup folks and trying to see where it stands.
There are 3 cohorts:
a. People who started out in Big 4/Corporate & then became a generalist: They've been underpaid the most. First pay was 4-5L, and when they transitioned to startups, started at 7-9L. Over time, growing from there is difficult without MBA.

b. People who have forever been in startups: They earn more than A on average. But here too, there is a delta in their salaries vs. people with same YoE who went to an MBA and are in corporate now. Side note: I've seen this cohort has usually loved what they've done, and being in startups definitely has positively impacted their thought process.

c. People who went to a corporate/big tech etc. mid way: This cohort has done the best long term. Their pay got recalibrated when they went to a larger company in the middle through their career, and when they rejoined startups, they were respected more in salary negotiation.

This is to anybody out there who is a generalist and sees a similar path. Try to sandwich a proper, large company in your career. It gives you perspective on whether you like it and if startups is really your preferred route. And it also recalibrates your pay.

Startups will limit you basis your last salary. Corporates have standards basis bands. Just something to think over.

NOTE: Do share feedback, if this makes sense. And if you'd like to read more of these too.

The Generalist - #1: Why you should not stay only in startups

Not only compensation, corporates help you to learn saying “NO” to not-related tasks. I see young startup folks in the name of “learning” are forced to do anything and everything. In my first startup role, I was handling the responsibilities of a PM + ops, which burnt me like anything without any significant skills gain. Corporate taught me delegation, saying “No” to things which aren’t part of your team.

Product Manager

Corporate Strategist

Hi All,

I have 8.5 years of experience. iit + iim (recent 1 year mba ). initially I worked at analytics KPOs , then I worked on my own startup. post that I worked with a b2c startup as a program manager . Worked in growth, analytics , cross functional etc etc 

Then post mba , I am again working at a startup managing a team of business analysts. 

I feel like my career is not really going anywhere. I have become a "generalist" suitable for early stage startups but I do not want to work at startups any more. 

what do I do ? How do I move into bigger companies for better stability OR find a stable suitable startup where I can become a VP (but then a VP of what ? )

Career advice

Program Manager

Hello Bs & Gs, 

Thanks for a positive response to the last post: https://share.gvine.app/EDm3me9JnJSnD3d17

A quick note for today. Over the years, being a generalist, I've realized that it's very tough to know when we're bringing the right impact or not. 

In the case of Devs/Designers/Other specialists: The output is quicker and tells the story - an amazing UI/UX, or building well working products. 

For generalists, the feedback loop is much longer, it's very unclear what it will amount to (especially at startups), it's the reason why being a generalist is looked down upon, by some people. 

My realization has been this: over a 1-2 year period, when you look back at your work, it's the picking that determines how you feel about what you did. And also how others feel about how you did.

PICKING: Knowing what to work on. What to A/B test. What 0 to 1s to pursue. Should you prioritize product idea A or product idea B. Should you experiment with growth channel A or growth channel B. 
EXECUTION: Taking what you pick from 0 to 1. Knowing when to take it from 1-10. Working to make it happen. 

Eventually, most days are execution days. Whether you do good work depends on how well researched & well thought out the 'picking' was. 

So pick well, don't under-invest in that stage. Take out time every now and then to course correct. 

Know what to pick.

The Generalist - #2: Execution is 99%, Picking is 1%. Know what to pick.

I've been in startups for the last 8 years. From Series B/C onwards to even a unicorn, over time worked at 3. 
One of them was an outright scam, raised many millions of $s from top investors, and then ultimately died. 
Also close with CXOs at decent sized startups, and there is a pattern out there. 

A few thoughts:
1. Being a startup founder is tough. There's pain. Some people thrive in pain. AKA Masochists. Know how to spot a founder who works 15 hours a day because they love their vision vs. somebody who works 15 hours a day because they're masochists. These people thrive in pain, and hence love to see you miserable as you slog away the hours under their leadership. 

There is absolutely no vision for the future that they have. They do it for the fame, money, and cause a lot of pain in the process. Nothing good comes out of it. Investors love this breed.
   
2. I wish I'd done more than just leave the scammy startup. At the point, I decided against whistleblowing. Because I thought there's so many people employed here, they would all be impacted. Over time, 200-300 people more joined after I left. Once the scam was caught, all of them lost their jobs.
   
3. I'm not a coder. I'm a generalist. Over time, my pay grew but not in line with my peers who went into consulting/VC and then came back to big tech/startups. Over time, you disadvantage yourself if you stick around as a generalist in startups for too long. The next team pays you at some premium over the last one, there's no step jump. 
You need to somehow find a successful startup early, and genuinely, that is impossible to game - even VCs have to bet on 20 to get it right.

These are a few disjointed thoughts. I hope they give some insight.
My only takeaways:
- If you work at a scammy startup, don't stand it. At least, don't stick around. 
- I earn lesser than my peers (tier 1 undergrad), but I regret nothing. I love my work, and I'll never get over the kick. I cannot imagine working at a larger company ever again.
- Ultimately, you have to be optimistic. Believe that India will grow, good founders will come around, magic will happen ❤️

PSA: What 8 years in startups have taught me

A startup with experienced folks and a well defined set of roles and responsibilities >>> one where we're all "a family"

Software Engineer

MBA grads(3+ years of exp) who are yet to find their role/vertical/industry... What is your plan? When should one develop the 'expertise'?

Generalists to specialists

Strategy & Operations

Hey folks, recently have found myself on career crossroads. Not sure what kind of career paths generalists have after certain YoE. Are there some generalists on the platform with more than 6-7 YoE who can throw light on what kind of roles are available to generalists after a certain level? Ideally, would want to look at big tech cos.

Current profile: 5yrs post mba work ex in consulting + startups.

Generalists career path

Project Manager

Welcome to Product Managers's Private Community

Engineers saying pms shouldn't exist should for once get what they want. Most engineers I know get anxious enough to take leaves once a customer shouts at them lol

Pms shouldn't exist folks should get what they want

Computer Operator

With over 10+ years of experience in Product management within the insurance and Fintech sector, I’ve realized that product management is still not understood/defined well as a role. I’m open to all sort of queries.

Ex-Policybazaar Product Head #AMA

Product Owner

First time posting here looking for advice

I am a 25 YO, working in an MNC (3+ Years experience)

Now here is what I have done in my last 3 years of work 

I can code fluently in Python and have managed a team of devs to work on 2 different applications
I have extensive no-code application building experience - applications being used by over 3000+ people
I have Project Manager as a designation but have done both product and project roles over the last 3 years

So I mostly say - I can solve problems from End 2 End from finding it, understanding it and solving it  (and if required build something to solve it)I mostly work with CXO (read 25 years+ experience senior leaders in the industry) but now I don't know what's next

I am eligible for a lot of roles between - strategy, technical project management and product managers
But mostly recruiters are like - "You don't have a defined experience in one field except mostly problem solving" or I am too young for a TPM role etc.

Badly need advice to understand what's next and also where to look for the next thing

Any generalists here?

I'm a generalist with 4 YOE, earning 17 LPA. 
Skills include but are not limited to: Nodejs, ReactJs, AWS, Jenkins, Docker and Linux. People in my company involve me in everything that requires solving problems. I have worked on multiple stacks beyond what I've mentioned and trained / guided junior to intermediate level of engineers

I'm searching for a new job, but I don't see companies having a dire need for generalists. This is partly because generalists don't command enough confidence unless deployed on a project to work their magic (or so is what I believe)

People having or knowing people in my techstack, do you think it is possible to expect a salary of 30 LPA ? Or is specialization an inevitable next step to take ? Also, how should I position myself in interviews ?

Your thoughts will be appreciated.

Jack of all trades: Any space left for generalists anymore?

Software Developer

I have been on this journey for a long time now. Lots of failure comes with loads of learning. Each step or initiative I took has helped me grow as a person, the business guy (ed-tech, media space), and also in terms of technicalities (full-stack product management, hardcore hands-on into technology and I love user experience)

Ps: currently running an edtech startup in pre-seed/seed stage

Feel free to ask anything, would be happy to help even personally

5 years of failure (Entrepreneurship) AMA

What is the future scope of the PM job role...will it still be relevant after 10 years, Is going to IIMs spending close to 25 lakhs in this economy to get into a PM job role justified??
Context: I know many people will say you don't need IIM to break into PM, But considering I'm a 25 Male, from tier 3 college...currently working as a product designer with 8 lpa...so I think the only way to reach 25-30 lpa in hand by 28 is by joining IIMs

Is getting into IIM to get into PM role justified?

I work in a slowing industry (Ed-Tech!) in a generalist role (Project Management!) for half a decade now! You'd think I would be better positioned to deal with life! Heck, NO! 

This crippling feeling of insecurity or job loss always puts an extra stress on day to day life. I couldn't take any risks in terms of a house or a car or a big EMI purchase in life! 

What if I get laid off? Will this generalist role help in landing anything next? Do I need an MBA for that? Switching to any specialized roles will take extensive preparation with time being in short supply with family and kids! 

Seem to have been strangled in the startup world. Any cure for this?

P.S : Sometimes thinking : Mommy sahi bolti thi. Govt job le leni chahiye thi. :D

Specialization vs. Generalist debate

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