HACKER Q&A
📣 Shaun0

A Career Dilemma


I've spent several years at a small company, starting as an iOS developer and gradually expanding my role to cover frontend, backend, DevOps, and even product management. I eventually learned to write business proposals and handle various aspects of product development.

Now that I'm looking for a new job, I've hit a wall: most positions require deep specialization in specific areas, while my breadth of experience, though valuable, doesn't seem to align with market demands. My generalist background, which was essential in a small company, appears to be more of a limitation than an advantage in the current job market.

How do you navigate the transition from being a technical generalist to finding your place in a market that values specialists? Has anyone successfully made a similar transition?

  👤 shw1n Accepted Answer ✓
I had this problem in my recent search, very similar situation (early-stage startup, then founded two companies).

What yielded success was shooting for "Full-Stack Engineer" and "Product Engineer" roles

Surprisingly, while startups were particularly excited, a lot of bigger tech companies were too

But while shooting for "Product Manager" or "Backend Developer" or even "Front-end Developer" I got nothing, it was the "Full-stack" keyword that got me tons of interviews

👤 WheelsAtLarge
You have to pick a specialty and get certified. Certificates are the only way you'll be able to break into the field you want to pursue. They don't guarantee anything but for a hiring manager, they at least signal that the person has received training. Additionally, I would volunteer at work on projects that are specially useful towards your career path.

Going forward you'll need to start looking for jobs that will move you forward on what you want to specialize in. It won't be easy but eventually, you'll get something. Learn from every interview and get a better understanding of what employers are looking for.

Also. don't pick a specialty just because it pays well. Money is nice but remember you'll have to do your job for the rest of your career. Money will not make up for the mental stress of doing a job you hate.