The T-Shaped Engineer
I first came accross this terminology when someone said to me
Don't just be a regular engineer, try becoming a T-Shaped Engineer
I was amazed when I heard the temrinology for the first time. You probably are too, if you're hearing after hearing about it for the first time.
So,what exactly is a T-Shaped engineer ?
TLDR; A T-Shaped Engineer is someone who has a broad range of skills but is an expert in one.
Let's take 3 engineers for an example :
- Developer G
- Developer S
- Developer T
Developer G has experiences with a lot of programming languages and also posseses a sound working knowledge on UI/UX and many other tools.
Developer S has experience with Java and can work , live and breath in Java.
If they both apply to the same organisation. Which engineer do you think will get the first preference ?
Think.
Think Hard.
If you guessed Developer G, you're right.
But, if you guessed Developer S, you're right too.
Both of these engineers have the same chances of getting the position as it depends on the organisation and their specific requirements and organisation opt for both of these engineers at some point.
But, we forgot about Developer T ?
Developer T has an experience with a lot of programming languages, uses UI/UX, can manage infrastructure and can dance. But, T is also an expert in Java.
Now, which one of the above profile do you think will have the better chances ?
Probably T. Again, it depends on the organisational needs.
A T-Shaped engineer is someone like Developer T who has a wide range of knowledge but is very strong in one particular thing like Developer T who has a wide set of skills but is extremely skilled in Java.
I aspire to become one. Maybe someday, I will become one.