Is it better to specialize or generalize?

Question

I am at a decision-making point in my career, and need some counsel!The company I work for is offering two different pathways in IT, and I'm not sure which one will give me better options in the future to transition and work somewhere else (which is a foreseeable future goal).Option A is a very specialized career focused on cybersecurity, ethical hacking, etc. (along with all of the certifications and technical training required to carry out the job description).Option B is a more generalized management/leadership approach to IT. There won't be nearly as many opportunities to gain technical mastery and improve specific skills, but the opportunities for developing my team-building and leadership skills are appealing.Is it better to specialize or generalize?

gerardnico · Accepted Answer

Your salary is a factor of what you are bringing as added value to a company.
If you are more Business focus, choose the managing path, if you are more knowledge focus, choose the professional path.
You can always switch, no matter what.

breckenedge · Answer

In my humble experience, management is a very dedicated speciality and a lot harder to pick up and do well than other technical talents.

MattGaiser · Answer

Anything tying you down to a company or a small set of companies is bad in a career where growth comes from getting a new job.

WheelsAtLarge · Answer

Specialization let's you charge the big bucks while generalization gives you the longer career.

EastOfTruth · Answer

it is less boring to generalize...