The key skills for the future really are around business, tech and flexibility. Cycles of change are shorter and business is tied tighter to tech so having skills in those areas gives you enough flexibility to hop around. Having a niche and specialty though that’s in demand helps you stand out and actually make a living.

J.D. Meier´s last blog post..Choose Your Jobs Based on Strengths

@ Elizebeth, “cross fertilization” sounds familiar. I think I’ve heard it before, or maybe it was “cross pollination.” I definitely think there’s something to it.

@ Carol, I agree that my posts are long, which is why I’m hoping that reducing my posting frequency will be OK with everyone. Thanks for the book recommendation.

Elizebeth´s last blog post..Facts That Make Your Jaw Drop

LunchHourBytes´s last blog post..5 ways to get off to a rotten start on a new job

Four Pillars said:

Thanks for publishing my comment – I like your statement about ‘giving people what they want, or give them what they need’.

“What they need” is an interesting concept – you might also include “What I think people need” as one of the possibilities since it’s not always that obvious what people need. My ABC blog (ABCsOfInvesting.net) is based on this idea – I know there a lot of people out there who need to learn more about the basics of investing (or anything at all about investing for that matter). However, the fact that I think those people need this info doesn’t mean they will read it. Even if they know they need that info still doesn’t mean they will read it.

I like the idea of ‘losing readers’ – for a niche blog that would indeed indicate success.

Guy said:

Great post, as a PhD student I have to be a specialist in my subject, though I view myself as a generalist in all other matters. I admire specialists, obsessives and often wish I was one, however I am not and I am happy being a generalist.

Cody Dream-Life-Coaching said:

I find it can be difficult to stay on topic, my interests change. After a while I find I’m am moving in small increments each time until after a while I am away from the original topic. This is good though, I think it keeps things interesting.

Akemi – Yes to Me said:

Hi, sweetheart, thank you for the mention.

I’m a pro generalist because I see so many problems caused by today’s specialist-oriented society and because the specialist orientation is usually based on the idea of scarcity and limitation. It goes something like this: Life is short and I have only limited amount of resources, so I better settle for one niche to be good at it.

The truth is life is abundant. Dipping one hand in seemingly unrelated field might as well benefit what you are doing with another hand.

There are, however, exceptions. Some people have such a strong clear focus that they cannot help becoming specialists. They don’t need to be told to be specialists, they know.

It may also be worth noting that appearance is one thing and what is going on in that person in another. I consider myself to be a generalist, but some people may consider me as specialist in Akashic Records. In fact, I do use the term “Akashic Record Reading Specialist” as my job title.

But I’m not limiting myself in this field, or as a psychic. I wouldn’t be surprised if I find myself doing something different just a few years from now.

This can be confusing to the people around me. For one, my blog Yes to Me started to share my experience and understanding of entrepreneurship. Now it’s all about spirituality. How do the two related to each other? Well, they do. (I will go into details about this in my New World series when I write about Power.)

Some areas generalist perspective is helpful: medicine. The human body is one organic entity, but modern medicine separates it to parts like automobile. I think doctors (high level doctors, not entry level family doctors) need to take generalist perspective to see the whole working of the body. They also need to understand psychology and spirituality because the physical body is related to emotional body and spiritual body.

BTW math is def related to arts. My high school math teacher wrote a book on the beauty of potteries used in tea ceremony, using differentiation.

And I think it may be even better if you could make the elderly laugh and make the children feel respected.

Love, Light, and Truth,
Akemi

Curmudgeon said:

Hunter, as someone who has had half a dozen distinctly different careers, I love it. And I am dating myself by saying that my hero in early adulthood was Angus MacGyver (Richard Dean Anderson).

Michael Martine said:

The reason why niches are so powerful is because of search. A clearly defined narrow niche is a way to achieve SEO before you even do anything.

However, it’s also 20th-century thinking. Specialists deserve their due, of course, but let’s face it, Renaissance people (I know the term is “Renaissance man, but that’s a bit sexist, nowadays) have all the fun.

People like Tim Ferriss because he epitomizes something they don’t dare do for themselves… yet. Nobody cares what he writes about. They’re idolizing him. (By the way, if everyone did what Tim Ferriss does, nobody could do what Tim Ferriss does. It takes all kinds.)

Bamboo Forest – PunIntended said:

First of all, I’m very impressed that ProBlogger conveyed this message:

“He said that most of his readers tend to be regulars for a few months, then leave.”

There is one blog in particular where I find it being a focused niche highly beneficial. And you’re right that when you’re a focused niche you engage in a great deal of repetition. There’s no doubt about this. But I find it really works well with CopyBlogger. I think that copywriting is *SO* vital for blogging – it is indeed worthwhile to constantly be reminded of these principles. Moreover, by reading post after post and knowing that some of the content will inevitably be repeated is not a detriment but an asset. It lends to truly internalizing the teachings, which lends itself to effective implementation.

Moreover, even nicheless blogs have a consistent spirit. My blog is on humor and inspiration basically. We’re not really a niche but whether the subject is humor or inspiration – the spirit is consistent. So, in that sense, nicheless blogs do have a niche, at least in spirit.

I said:

@ Four Pillars, I still struggle with “need” vs. “want.” The conventional wisdom is to just give people what they want, but that can leave a yucky taste in your mouth. And there are some people who have great success without paying attention to what people say they want.

@ Guy, that’s a great example of how someone can be a specialist when they need to be, but a generalist in other situations.

@ Cody, if it’s in small increments, nobody gets lost!

@ Akemi, I never thought about specialization being connected to scarcity thinking, but I guess it makes perfect sense!

@ Curmudgeon, I hear that people are now expected to have 6 different careers – not jobs, careers – before they’re 30! Or something like that. Very different from the old days.

@ Michael, it’s funny how 20th century thinking has fallen behind 14th century thinking, isn’t it? BTW, “polymath” is a similar term without the gender issue!

@ Bamboo Forest, Darren used to have a blog that combined different niches – blogging, photography, religion, and I think something else. (Remember that he didn’t have the benefit of having predecessors to learn from.) Of course, it didn’t work, because he didn’t have a consistent spirit. I like that “consistent spirit” idea!

Chad @ sentient money said:

Generalization vs. specialization is a battle generalization lost last century and helped cause our current economic and cultural (polarization) mess. A good example is banking. The banking specialists had no idea how to value real estate and the people borrowing had no idea how to evaluate financing options, as both were specialists. Obviously, not everyone, but you get the picture.

Both styles have their place, but we have allowed one to become the dominant form. Any time an imbalance appears in a system, it is bad for the system. It will be interesting to see if the current crisis causes any changes.

Keena said:

Ha, Hunter! You always make me smile. And I gotta say, I really loved this post because I’m just going through the angst of weighing the pros and cons of generalizing and specializing myself! I absolutely hate to box myself in and have to stay there, so I was leaning towards generalizing… Thanks for putting fuel into my fire!

Also, I am a biologist by training, and as such have studied the concept of species generalization and specialization. BTW, specialization is not just for insects!

Species specialize when times are good and the population is expanding – this way a slightly different niche (also a biology term) can be exploited and it lessons overall competition for resources. However, over the long term specialization leads to a loss of genetic diversity. And when the bad times roll around, as they always do, the specialists cannot adapt (as well) and are at more of a risk of extirpation or extinction, e.g., polar bears, desert foxes and crossbills. The generalists thrive because they can adapt and expolit a variety of niches, e.g., black bears, coyotes and crows.

To sum up, if the conditions are **perfect**, the specialists do best because they are the best adapted to exploit that particular environment, but if the environment changes, the generalists “win”. So I suppose, to decide, it would be bast to assess how quickly your niche environment would change.

Love your blog, Hunter!

Michael Martine said:

Keena, that was a brilliant economic and business analysis!

I said:

@ Chad, interesting, and I had never thought about it that way. I guess it’s like when one political party–either one–is in power for too long.

@ Keena, I agree with Michael, except I’ll add “biological” to “economic” and “business!” It’s been a while since I studied biology, and I appreciate the refresher.