Hi all,

I would like to discuss whether you want to get specific skills or generic skills.

One of my friends who works as an accountant told me that she wants her husband to change his career from the IT field to the business field. She mentions that all firms are looking for employee who knows lots and lots of programming languages. So, it is very difficult to get a job when the programming language you know is not used anymore. Maybe she is right. Therefore, most IT employees are also training themselves to be expert in many programming languages. Is that possible? Those are kind of Generic Skills. They are not specialize in any thing. It is lack of industry-specific skills. A friend of mine who is a Professional Java Developer told me not to worry about that. We do not need to follow every new technology. He said we have to stick on specific one. Maybe, he is right. However, as for me, I cannot do it like that. I do not want to get left behind. I think all people from IT field are like me. We all are motivated to learn new technologies. This is our passion, and a fun for us. We try to achieve lots of skills as much as we can. Am I right? How about you? Do you have specific skills or generic skills?

I have read a good article in this following link.
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=A...f5c579fa651a13a

According to this article, I find out that companies and employees possibly will have contradictory interests with respect to the skills. Currently, most of the colleges and universities offer generic trainings instead of training industry-specific skills. Employees prefer more generic training than trying to optimal specific skills. Because of the insufficient competition with generic skills for industry-specific skills, employees cannot get jobs easily. This is a problem for employees to aware because increasing the level of generic training, decreasing the level of specific skills. So, they can get jobs as junior positions not to be professions which they can earn more money. On the other hand, companies want the generic skills to replace in any position whenever they need.

I think it is completely wrong, but this is only my point of view. What do you think about that? Is that right or wrong?

 

 

 

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Lord, help me.

Okay here it goes.


I sus the question this way.

If one is asking how too aquire the most money in the least amount of time within the IT skill set then there is one path.

If one is asking how to earn a modest living in a field of their own choosing that is another path.

And if one is asking weather one can survive in following their 'hearts desire' then that is the road less taken.

So saying that you ask specificly about specific skills as opposed to generic skills.

Well the choice is diaditic.

Pick your poision.


If you keep score of your life in money then pay strong attention to the wishes of the company.
If the majority of us choose this method then, after the downsizing, it'll all shake out to "My shack is bigger than your shack".

Else if you've got personal knowledge for personal fufillment. I learn because "I" want to know, not for some Company.


Of course the good vs. evil model of looking at such problems sets up imediate conflicts.
"Who's side are YOU on?"


Can you find a more middle ground in your question?

Douglas Adams had a bit where this "Great" alien society built the Earth as a giant computer who's program was to calculate an answer to the great question of the meaning of life, the universe, and everything.

The answer was 42

GIGO

What "IS" the meaning of life?

Do you spend more time in a state of aingst in constant flux, trying to get bills paid to suport your life style?
Or are you activly trying to follow the thing that you care about?
If your putting those things off until later, after retirement perhaps, then I could see how this might generate angist.

Take the wisdom of our fathers as you will.

Perhaps the only purpose we have tword a "Meaning" in this life is caretakers.
God asks us to "house sit" and "look after the animals".
We got more intrested in rummaging through It's stuff, especally the stuff It specifically told us "not to mess with".
Instead of apologising, we lie.
< boot > out of the garden.

I say that to say this.

By this view, we were MADE to be caretakers.
There is NO GREATER thing (imho) that we can take care of than our familes.
Show me a species that dosen't protect it's women and children and I'll show you a species that's fixen to become extenct.

Just don't get TOO enamared with the $

It's fiat anyway...






MAOU

 

 

 

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Yeah this is something I'm sure most people will have to decide on when trying to and get skills experience under your belt. The one thing that is clear is you dont have enough time to be an expert in all fields so your going to have to pick either be good(ok) at all round IT stuff. or be very good in one area and ok in the others.

Me personally I would rather be very good at one thing then ok in everything. I think being very good in one area would give you an advantage over others when going for jobs that require those skill sets. I think thats what your asking right? Depending on some companies they may only want to hire people just qualified enough for the job and not get some super geek to do some basic work. So its pretty much down to what company and what they are after.

So if you have generic IT skills and arnt looking to specialize in one area then there should be no problem getting generic IT jobs. I dont intent to put down anyone doing these work, hell if your already in IT business and getting paid your set if you wish to learn more you can. I think you have to with the IT field. There always seem to be new technology coming up and if you dont keep up your skills arnt going to be good for very long unless you work in an area where nothing changes as much.

I see alot of high paided IT roles on offfer but they are only looking for the best. This tells you one thing you must be very good so having just generic skills wont help as much IMO.

I dont know about everyone else but I think if your able to be very good in one area you'll probably be good in others too because you've been working long enough to pick up knowledge here and there. I mean eventually you gotta pick things up that you didnt know just by working in the IT area anyway. But the idea of trying to learn everything and be good at everything is a very hard task IMO. How many expert graphics designers and expert web developers do you see out there? Those skills takes years to build and they are in almost two completely different areas.

I dont really know what you mean by generic either. It can mean just basic skills of IT? networking, office software.... You gotta assume that if not already most people will know these things and it wouldnt be considered as valuable as many years ago. I dont know about you guys but I'm counting on the fact that I'll eventually be very good at something rather then ok at most things and that will count for something when I go for a job.

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