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Okay, I have to ask -- what is a "T shaped person"? I've never heard that phrase and am genuinely curious.


it's akin to "jack of all trades", we're broadly skilled over having a singular focus on one area.

It's in OP's favor; we tend to be more easily employable because we can step into roles with admittedly less of the impact that someone with dedicated skills in that area, but having advantage the breadth of the work we can do is wider.

We're cross-disciplinary, usually not academically educated, and tend to look at problems differently because we'll have a more diverse experience.


It's usually meant to describe devs as they develop and mature. They typically start with a strong descender, a specialty, then they branch out.

Generalists and T-shaped people are usually separated into different groups taxonomically.

I'm with you, though, I'm a generalist, a jack-of-all-trades, master of none. I like to describe the shape as "cave ceiling with stalactites," because there are several areas where I go deep.

I'd also like to point out that I have a few degrees, but universities tend to force people to focus, so being non-academic might make you more likely in my group. But as long as you own your education instead of letting deans and advisors stunt you (argue with them - they need that), academic education can be enjoyable and a way to experience even more knowledge broader and deeper than you might otherwise.




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