Specialists Vs Generalists
Marie Claire South Africa|December 2018

With so many recruiters looking for multi-skilled talent these days, is there still a place for expertise? Lynette Botha weighs in

Lynette Botha
Specialists Vs Generalists

I recently updated my Instagram bio to ‘Jack of all trades, master of some’. I’ve been working in the magazine industry for 12 years and have taken on varied roles – from copy editing to travel writing, the beauty department to management. My jack-of-all trades skill set has worked for me to date and, in fact, seems to be the popular approach these days, with Millennials becoming masters of the multi-hyphen career spec. But as jobs across all industries become fewer, and unemployment rates rise, I’ve started to wonder whether the key to employment security may perhaps lie in perfecting a single skill. As we head into 2019, with the threat of automation and artificial intelligence occupying positions of the future, should we continue adding to our already varied skill sets? Or nurture specific expertise? After all, what ever happened to being an expert?

According to GetSmarter’s The New Professional’s 2018 Career Guide, 85% of jobs that will exist in 2030 haven’t even been invented yet. The guide goes on to note: ‘The old economy prepared graduates to enter the workforce with a qualification behind their name that was expected to equip them with the skills needed to remain relevant for their entire career. The modern economy, now characterised by swift and frequent technological innovation, implementation and change, makes it just about impossible to rely solely on one qualification. The evidence? Global reports show a growing disparity between skills required and skills possessed by working professionals in key roles. It is not that your skills will no longer be required, it is that they’ll be needed in a different shape or form.’

This story is from the December 2018 edition of Marie Claire South Africa.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the December 2018 edition of Marie Claire South Africa.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM MARIE CLAIRE SOUTH AFRICAView All
These Women Are Not Real
Marie Claire South Africa

These Women Are Not Real

These women have millions of Instagram followers, front-row seats at fashion week and the latest designer clothes … but they’re not real. This new social-media trend is the most futuristic yet: computer-generated avatars that look, talk and behave like real people. But, asks HANNAH-ROSE YEE, is this really the future of the influencer industry?

time-read
8 mins  |
December 2018
One Moment In Time
Marie Claire South Africa

One Moment In Time

In February this year, para-athlete and journalist Palesa ‘Deejay’ Manaleng won gold in the women’s H3 hand-cycle event at the 2018 SA National Road and Para-Cycling Championships in Outdshoorn, Western Cape. Four years earlier, she had lost the use of her legs in a terrible cycling accident. Here, she shares that terrifying experience and her personal story of recovery

time-read
10+ mins  |
December 2018
Never Had Sex But Trying For A Baby
Marie Claire South Africa

Never Had Sex But Trying For A Baby

For this 40-something-year-old, becoming a mother is high up on her priority list. And the fact that she’s a virgin, is not going to stop her from reaching her goal

time-read
4 mins  |
December 2018
Living In A Man's World
Marie Claire South Africa

Living In A Man's World

What really happens in the secret world of men? We asked four men who were born female to share their unique perspective on what it’s like to be parachuted into the opposite gender

time-read
10 mins  |
December 2018
Get In The Mood
Marie Claire South Africa

Get In The Mood

You’re ready to ring in 2019, but that dreaded dress code has you in a panic. There’s no need to stress. Tarryn Oppel thinks you may already have a winning piece in your wardrobe. You just don’t know it yet...

time-read
3 mins  |
December 2018
A Charmed Life
Marie Claire South Africa

A Charmed Life

Jewellery designer Ambra Gambale ’s handcrafted work has a curious undercurrent of magic realism, with a strong emphasis on bespoke pieces

time-read
2 mins  |
September 2018
Chelsea Lately
Marie Claire South Africa

Chelsea Lately

Former first daughter Chelsea Clinton talks privilege, female leadership, dealing with critics – and how Trump ‘degrades what it means to be an American’

time-read
10 mins  |
September 2018
Delivering Excellence
Marie Claire South Africa

Delivering Excellence

NOMZAMO MBATHA chats to Afika Jadezweni about her red-carpet style, why women need to support one another, and how she’ll never forget where she comes from

time-read
4 mins  |
September 2018
Soul To Soul
Marie Claire South Africa

Soul To Soul

If There Were Ever a Visual Representation of the Expression ‘wearing Your Heart on Your Sleeve’, Lukhanyo Mdingi’s ‘soulful Ii’ Collection Would Be It, as Afika Jadezweni Finds Out

time-read
4 mins  |
September 2018
It's Kim's World
Marie Claire South Africa

It's Kim's World

…We Just Live In It. How An Underestimated La Socialite Became One Of The Most Powerful Women Of The 21st Century

time-read
4 mins  |
September 2018