In almost any skilled activity there is a range of specialization: from narrow-profile tasks to broader ones. Which specialization is more profitable from a career point of view: broad or narrow?

Broad specialization

Advantages:

– it is easier to find a job, since the range of vacancies for which you can apply is wider;

– it is easier to improve your qualifications or enter related professional fields. The broader your horizons, the easier it is to get comfortable in unfamiliar professional “territory”;

– a wide profile - insurance against professional burnout. Even if you love your job very much, but perform the same range of tasks year after year, there is a high probability that there will be less and less inspiration for work over time;

– focus on innovation. The wider the field of view, the easier it is to see the perspective. Generalists tend to see new opportunities before those opportunities even arise. Because people with a broad outlook live every day in the mode of searching and processing new information.

Main disadvantage broad specialization - lack of depth. The specialist is familiar with different areas, but in some places very superficially. Due to ignorance of details, the likelihood of errors is high.

Recommendation. If you are a generalist and it is not physically possible to delve into every detail (which is natural!), use the advice of specialist experts who will help you avoid sharp corners.

Narrow specialization

The main advantage of narrow specialization

As a possessor of rare knowledge and skills, you automatically fall into the category of valuable specialists: after all, what you know and can do, few know and can do.

Flaws:

– you have to wait until a suitable vacancy appears on the labor market. (By the way, this time can be used to broaden your horizons!);

– risk of getting stuck in a routine, professional burnout;

– what if the demand for specialists in your profile drops sharply? For example, a new technology will be invented, or the industry will leave the market. You will have to urgently retrain, and adaptation will not be easy.

Recommendation. As a narrow specialist, try to develop universal qualities in yourself - those that can be useful in a wide variety of areas of activity. For example, foreign languages, communication skills, creativity. This increases your competitiveness. If you have a hobby, devote more time to it - perhaps someday it will help you out during a crisis in the labor market or become your job if you want to change your professional profile. Broaden your general horizons, communicate with people whose company you enjoy - this will add new impressions to your life and serve as a preventive measure for professional fatigue.

Broad profile or narrow specialization? was last modified: June 12th, 2017 by Elena Nabatchikova

There are a huge number of professions where it is simply necessary to be a generalist, otherwise in conditions of crisis instability you may simply be left without a job. Programmers do not have such a problem: having experience and excellent knowledge in any one popular discipline, you can build a quite good career on it without any problems.

However, periods of stagnation, when you either cannot find a job or cannot wait for a promotion, happen to everyone in life. And then you involuntarily think: maybe learn another programming language, learn the profession of a tester, layout designer, system administrator, or become a real full stack developer? What's better: being a great programmer with one focus or trying to become a jack of all trades? Let's try to find out.

Let us immediately agree that when making comparisons, we assume that a multi-machine operator simply physically cannot have as deep professional knowledge as a person devoted to one specialty. All other parameters are considered the same.

Job search

A person whose resume indicates knowledge of a dozen programming languages ​​at a good level and with at least a year of experience in using each will arouse suspicion from a competent employer. However, at the same time, the breadth of coverage of HR managers among multi-station workers is such that the resume will inevitably attract someone’s attention. So, maybe not in a large IT company and not for a lot of money, but such a specialist will always find a job.

A highly specialized specialist with 2-3 programming languages ​​and knowledge of all related tools and 10 years of work experience will also inevitably be in demand. But there is one small catch here: the Russian reality is such that outside of Moscow and 2-3 other large cities, it will not be easy for a well-trained IT specialist to find an office job that satisfies his needs. But the opportunity opens up to successfully work outside of Russia. This means there will be no problems with work, unless you are tied to home.

Result: draw. In one case, there is a high probability of finding a job closer to home, in the other - a good job for good money, but no one knows where.

Career growth rate

You are an excellent programmer, better than anyone in the department who knows the programming language used, and has a perfect command of the accompanying libraries and tools. A promotion to lead programmer or team lead is simply inevitable, especially if you can also speak.

But here’s another situation: you are not the best specialist in your field, but you can always do the work “for that guy,” and in general, participate in at least all stages of product release. Promoting you to a classic team lead will not be entirely correct in relation to the best specialists (although if your performance is high, then why not), but a normal boss will simply be obliged to increase the managerial component in your work. The main thing is that you are not against this development of events.

Result: draw. With a bad boss, specialization doesn't matter, but a good one will appreciate both approaches.

Career horizon

Climbing the career ladder does not imply stopping until a lucky break and a very extended time frame. The faster you learn to achieve maximum productivity from one position to another, the higher you will eventually climb.

And here the works of a multi-machine operator will be much more useful, since the position of a manager is not necessarily accompanied by superior knowledge over subordinates. It assumes that you have a good understanding of what each employee does and how successful they are at it. A C coder is unlikely to expertly evaluate the quality of the choice of color schemes for an application and its ergonomics, but someone who was at least a little interested in this before will do so. So the winner is clear.

Result: a clear victory for the multi-machine operator. We all dislike bosses who are limited in knowledge, but it’s even worse when they are absent altogether.

Salary

If you do not have any unique skills and knowledge, then your only argument in salary negotiations will be an offer to operate in several positions at once.

At the same time, a top specialist with a narrow profile has several arguments up his sleeve: inevitable lucrative offers from competitors, the company’s dependence on his qualifications, the inability to find an equivalent replacement for less money.

Result: the narrow-profile specialist wins by a small margin. Patience and work are always valued much more than broad views on life.

Respect for colleagues

A good worker will always be respected, but the one who always knows a little more than the rest will always be held in special esteem. Theoretically, this could be a generalist, simply because he is competent in more issues than any individual colleague. But, as practice shows, over time, such people sooner or later begin to irritate the team, simply because they do not have an expert level of knowledge in anything.

Result: victory for the employee in his profile. You probably also know a guy about whom there is nothing to say except that in his profession he is a king and a god.

Self-satisfaction

It is obvious that a person who devotes his entire life to one thing is either crazy or really loves what he does. If at the same time he is given opportunities for self-realization, his work is decently paid, then in the end he begins to turn to his friends with the question: “How can you work where you don’t like?”

A person who tries to combine several professions in his life at once, as a rule, does not do this out of a good life. However, this does not mean at all that he does not enjoy his work and success in his profession. He gets a little less tired, since the activities are varied, he completes the assigned tasks more often, simply because they are limited in complexity. But does he experience more pleasure?

Result: Slight advantage in favor of target specialists. Simply because loving is more pleasant than being loved.

Opposite sex attitude

Let's finish our comparison with a slightly humorous comparison. Just imagine that you go on a date and start discussing work. And it turns out that your companion is, say, a cook. What should you choose: discuss her specialized dishes (for example, confectionery) for an hour or talk about cooking in general? Surely the second conversation will captivate you a little more.

Result: The case when a broad profile will be appreciated by representatives of both sexes.

Total

5:4 in favor of those IT specialists who have a clear idea of ​​what they want to do.

What do you think: is the IT world moving towards universalization or towards increased specialization of professions?

Choosing a profession is a question that everyone faces. From early childhood, a person tries to understand what place he will occupy in adulthood. Some sincerely believed in a career as a firefighter, some wanted to become a ballet actor, and some dreamed of selling sweets to children. Unfortunately or fortunately, not all children's wishes come true. With age comes an understanding: an ideal profession is not only something you love, but also something that is in demand. Today's schoolchildren and applicants must anticipate changes in the labor market. In this regard, you should understand the list of in-demand professions in 2020-2025. It must be capacious and justified - then it will be possible to take advantage of freedom of choice.

What was relevant before

The first professions appeared even before the emergence of civilization. Then among the ancient people it had a clear, specific character. The man's task was to ensure the safety of the "home", women and children. He also had to provide the tribe with food. Women raised children and made sure that the fire in the family hearth always warmed the household. The redistribution of responsibilities appeared when humanity began to change its usual way of life. Nomadic tribes became sedentary, and the development of agriculture began. A profession such as tillage appeared.

The hard physical labor with which people cultivated the land pushed society to invent more convenient devices. A craft appeared. Over time, the specialties of potters and blacksmiths arose - these were professions associated with the future. Dynasties of masters constantly improved their skills, which triggered progress. Ultimately, this led to what are now about forty thousand different professions.

The emergence of narrow specialization

Already in the twentieth century, an urgent need arose for the division of labor. If previously “jacks of all trades” were irreplaceable and in great demand, then in conditions of an overloaded labor market and a constant increase in demand for goods, narrow specialists were needed. The first to understand this was Henry Ford, who divided car production into conventional workshops. Each of them produced a separate part of the general mechanism. People worked where they were more successful. The result was an increase in the output of finished products several times. Ford's example was followed by other major manufacturers, and now every enterprise uses the assembly line method.

How was the progress

In industrial Russia throughout the twentieth century, traditional factory workers were popular; they received good salaries, and young people, wanting to be useful, gladly went to work for large enterprises. However, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, many factories lost their stability. A new era has begun in the labor market - the development of the service sector. Construction developed no less actively - large cities were built up with high-rise buildings. Thus, at the beginning of the 2000s, the professions of a builder, mason, plasterer, as well as managers, waiters, specialists in the restaurant and tourism business and other service workers became new, promising professions.

In 2007, society increasingly wondered what professions would be in demand in 10 years. The applicants understood that their entire subsequent life depended on their choice. Then the ratings of the professions of the future were full of sales managers, marketers, customer service specialists, IT engineers, lawyers, economists and some others. This suggests that at that time the service sector continued to develop and the demand for qualified specialists was constantly increasing. But even then, a development trend in the field of scientific research began.

Scientific development today

Now scientific research has a decisive place. The future development of the country and society depends entirely on the daily achievements of scientists. The peculiarities of scientific development are that there is a clear division of science into several independent disciplines. This allows us to address current issues in more detail. Research and experiments at this stage of human development are aimed primarily at solving environmental problems. Thus, an expert in the field of alternative energy will be in great demand on the labor market in just a few years. The field of medicine is no less important, since prolonging life and improving its quality are paramount issues of our time.

Medical professions

The development of technology allows specialists to constantly improve. However, there is another side to this coin: workers need to improve their skills and undergo retraining programs. Undoubtedly, the results are worth all the effort - because they prolong human life.

The future is theirs

It is easier to present the list of in-demand professions in 2020-2025 as a list:

  1. Surgeon. This specialist must keep up with the times. Thus, already in 2012, an operation was performed to implant a lower jaw implant, which was pre-printed on a 3D printer. Surgeries to implant artificial organs such as kidneys, liver and even heart are well known. The ability to use completely new technologies is the most important skill of a successful specialist of the future.
  2. Healthcare Manager. A representative of this profession will be required to select a team of scientists, engineers, developers and researchers and coordinate their joint work to achieve commercially promising goals.
  3. Medical device architect. This is a symbiosis of the profession of an engineer and a medical worker. This specialist will develop the design of medical equipment, as well as ensure its normal functioning. This profession is also called "bioengineer". Where to study? In universities that have areas of “medical photonics”, “biotechnical and medical devices and systems”, “computer technologies in medical physics”.
  4. Genetic consultant. This is a specialist in the field of genetics who identifies hereditary diseases, determines individual metabolic characteristics and studies diseases that cause viral and bacterial infections.
  5. Molecular nutritionist. The responsibilities of a representative of this profession will include studying the molecular composition of food and developing an individual nutrition plan for each patient.

Industry

In order to understand the question of what professions will be in demand in 10 years, it is necessary to analyze the economic development of the country at the present time. The leading sector of the economy in Russia is industry. This is the most important factor influencing the development of the state. A specialist who has connected his life with this field will never be left without work.

Where to go?

Types of industry:

  • Food.
  • Easy.
  • Chemical.
  • Mining.
  • Metallurgy (ferrous and non-ferrous).
  • Mechanical engineering and metalworking.
  • Fuel and electricity.
  • Coal, oil and gas.
  • Lesnaya.

Thus, industry provides society with everything that is necessary for its normal functioning. The food industry of the future, for example, is developing new varieties of plants that humanity eats. The number of vacancies in industry is always higher than in other industries. In addition, there is a need to optimize production, so, in addition to representatives of blue-collar professions, the work of economists, biologists, and many other specialists will be useful here.

Indispensable in industry

So what are the most in-demand professions in 2020-2025? The list will look like this:

  1. Design engineers, who will design new equipment and invent more modern technology.
  2. Nanotechnologies, whose area of ​​work is cutting-edge nanotechnology.
  3. Chemists, biotechnologists, petrochemists, employed in all branches of the chemical industry: from household chemicals to complex chemicals used in production.
  4. Seamstresses, textile workers, cutters, whose work will always be in demand in
  5. Lumberjacks, mechanics, sawyers, ensuring the correct distribution of forest resources.

Professions in demand in 2020-2025: list for men

Many traditionally male professions have been mastered by women over time. So, now ladies can be not only drivers and bosses, but also politicians, police officers, and installers. But, despite the widespread prevalence of such professions among the fairer sex, some areas are much more suitable for men. These include the professions of a sailor, pilot, miner, lumberjack, plumber, bodyguard, security specialist, firefighter, military man, as well as a builder or scientist. The most promising areas for men are:

  • Programming.
  • Design.
  • Engineering.
  • Cyberprosthetics.
  • City farming (organization of production of farm products in a metropolis).
  • Space industry - spacecraft piloting, cosmogeology and galactic architecture.

It just so happens that more men than women are endowed with a technical mindset. This plays into the hands of the stronger sex: the rapid development of science and industry requires not only an increase in the number of workers, but also the involvement of technical minds. Designing, drawing, planning, organizing and optimizing production require a strong and strong-willed person at the head of the table. Often such positions are occupied by men.

Professions in demand in 2020: list for girls

Representatives of the fair half of humanity are not inferior to the male part of the population. Hard work, punctuality, clarity of action and a non-standard approach distinguish female specialists from the vast majority of male colleagues. Nowadays, the ability to overcome difficulties at work with dignity is also inherent in women. Thus, the areas of work for women are very diverse: from creative professions, in which girls are traditionally considered professionals, to complex technical sciences. This may include the work of a teacher, a marketing, tourism or advertising manager, a realtor, a designer of all kinds, as well as a psychologist and even a security specialist.

The most popular “female” professions in ten years will be the following professions:

  • Journalist.
  • Editor.
  • Nanomedica.
  • Space tourism manager.
  • Game teacher (specialist in teaching children through games).
  • Mind fitness trainer (brain training).

Women will not be left without work. A stable life position, activity, and enterprise, which can easily coexist with tenderness and complaisance, will always be useful in the labor market. Not a single direction is complete without the participation of a woman’s hand. In addition, among the students at the country's leading universities, the vast majority are representatives of the fairer sex. Educated girls are able not only to build a brilliant career, but also to teach important knowledge to their children.

How to choose the ideal profession?

Applicants are faced with a difficult choice: to go to study in the direction in which their heart lies, or to choose an unloved but in-demand profession? Everyone decides this for themselves. However, successful careerists in their field advise finding a middle ground. Not a single profession, even the most relevant one in the future, guarantees complete material security. How a person’s future life will turn out depends only on his desire to move and develop within his direction. But do you want to grow in something you don’t love? Definitely not. Therefore, you need to go where it will be interesting to work first, and the rest will follow.

Development of science and technology

The speed of progress is impressive. Literally ten years ago, humanity could not imagine what the science of today would be capable of. Even now it’s hard to believe that implants of vital organs can be printed on a 3D printer, that the space tourism industry not only exists, but is also actively developing. That nanotechnology occupies a leading place in industrial development. It is difficult to imagine what in-demand professions will be in 2020-2025. The list can only be conditional. But one thing is clear: the future cannot manage without qualified specialists. This means you need to learn, develop and work hard on yourself.

The word "profession" comes from the Latin "professio", which means "official occupation, occupation." The modern definition of this term is more voluminous and reads as follows: “a profession is a historically emerged form of labor activity, for the performance of which a person must have certain knowledge, skills, abilities, as well as professionally important qualities.”

Our list of professions is constantly updated and growing.

There is a special list of professions (where, unfortunately, no description can be found) approved by the Russian Ministry of Labor - “All-Russian Classifier of Worker Professions, Employee Positions and Tariff Grades” (OKPDTR). As a rule, a rigid tariff schedule is actually used only in government and budgetary institutions. Private firms and commercial organizations are more tolerant of the discrepancy between education, profession and position.

A consultation on career guidance from ProfGuide will help you in this important matter not only as information support, but will indicate the direction and set guidelines that correspond to your abilities. After all, to build a successful career and a decent life in the future, it is not enough to determine your inclination towards a particular profession. A psychologist will help you choose a profession that matches your talents, but in different industries - the most developed in the present and promising in the future.

The world of professions is incredibly diverse and large. In order not to get lost in this diversity, professions were conventionally divided into groups: man-person, man-technology, man-nature, man-artistic image.

We do everything so that you understand your desires and acquire the necessary information.

ProfGuide will give you:

  • momentum to move forward
  • opportunity to learn new things
  • get to know yourself from a new side, be surprised and rejoice at these discoveries.