One of the most common questions beginner freelancers ask is, “Should I be really good at one thing or pretty good at a lot of things?” The answer is, you guessed it, it depends. There are advantages and disadvantages to both specializing in one area and having more general knowledge in several areas. These are the main arguments for and against.

Advantages of specialization

  1. better pay — Assuming there is sufficient demand for a specific area of ​​knowledge or skill, companies will be happy to pay a premium for expert help. If you have a great deal of knowledge and skill in a field, you are an extremely valuable resource for those companies seeking your expertise.

  2. less competition — In general, the more focused your knowledge and skills are (ie, the smaller your niche), the fewer competitors you will have. Due to the large number of niches, each one will have fewer freelancers than the more general supergroup that contains it.

  3. Better to work with larger companies. — Unlike small companies, large companies are more likely to be able to afford many specialists in a variety of areas; For example, a corporation can hire all of the following freelancers: a business consultant, accountant, web copywriter, print copywriter, graphic designer, frontend web developer, backend web developer, public relations teacher, SEO specialist, social media expert , legal advisor, and a marketing guru. If you prefer to work with larger corporations, being more specialized will likely increase your value as a freelancer to large companies.

Disadvantages of specialization

  1. Limited ability to adapt to economic changes. — Changes in demand and supply of specialized freelance services. If the demand decreases due to technological advances or a change in trends, or if the supply increases due to others entering your field of expertise, you may lose business and revenue. For example, if you are the top marketing expert on Facebook but people migrate to Google+, you may lose a significant amount of business and need to reinvent yourself as a Google+ marketing guru (you would lose money and time during this learning process).

  2. Smaller target market (fewer leads) — The more specialized you are, the smaller the market will be for your particular specialty. For example, if you specialize in producing short documentary films for non-profit organizations, you’ll have fewer potential clients than if you’re a more adaptable independent video producer who can produce a wide variety of films.

  3. boredom — You may get bored of doing the same thing, or something similar, over and over again. Hopefully you love your major (that’s why you chose it, right?), but that may not be the case 5 years from now.

Advantages of Generalization

  1. Superior ability to adapt to economic changes. — By not delving too deep into any one area, you can quickly adapt to trends in technology, business, and design so you don’t lose business or revenue due to shifts in supply and demand for specific freelance services (at least, not to the same extent as a specialist would). And since you’re not trying to learn everything in a particular field, you save learning time. After all, you probably don’t need to know everything (see #3 below).

  2. Best “Big Picture” Idea — By having a diverse knowledge base, you will be more easily able to understand the broader, more abstract concepts and goals of a particular company, and therefore better able to adapt to that company’s needs. Understanding the context of the work you are doing is crucial to going beyond a client’s expectations.

  3. Help the most people most of the time — Most people aren’t looking for something extremely specific. Customers usually have a “fuzzy” idea of ​​what they’re looking for (whether they admit it or not), and are likely looking for your address. This is often the case because if a client knows exactly what she wants, she is more likely to do it herself than pay someone else to do it for her (assuming she has the necessary skills).

  4. Best for working with small businesses. — Most small businesses cannot afford to hire numerous specialized freelancers, like all those listed in Specialization Benefits #3. I’ve worked a lot with small businesses, and usually what they’re looking for is someone who isn’t too specialized, but someone who has a broad knowledge base, is well resourced (ie, can find answers/solutions quickly) and be a creative problem solver.

Disadvantages of generalization

  1. Lack of concentration — If you’re not particularly helpful in one area, companies may not hire you because your services don’t provide enough value to achieve their goals. If you only know a little more than your client knows, your client will probably look for someone more specialized or maybe learn to do the job themselves.

  2. more competition — There are a seemingly infinite number of “mainstream” freelance writers, graphic designers, web developers, etc. The more “noise” there is in the market, the more difficult it will be for you to stand out as a leader. Most novice and intermediate freelancers will take almost any job they can get, so they end up becoming generalized freelancers, which increases their competition.

My personal experience being generalized

I have personally acquired a more general knowledge base and skill set. This strategy has worked very well for me (so far). I enjoy doing a variety of jobs; I rarely get bored with a particular task, so it’s a big plus for me. I enjoy working with other small businesses; I am often a very valuable asset to them in terms of developing technology solutions for business operations and in terms of their company’s web presence and internet marketing strategy.

If I find myself in a situation where I don’t know something (i.e. an area I’m not specialized enough in), I do some research and find the answer or learn how to do something (just googling often does the job). If there is a lot involved or there is a long learning curve, I will hire someone else to do a particular task (i.e. subcontract/outsource the work) to save myself time and frustration.

do what makes sense to you

Deciding whether to be specialized or generalized is often a personal preference. You should do what makes sense to you based on the pros and cons that matter most to you.

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