IT Insights Blog — Career Advice

There's a contest of sorts currently underway in which cities large and small, scattered across the United States from sea to shining sea, are desperately seeking to outdo each other in courting the favor of one of America's most dynamic companies. Everything e-tailer Amazon, which has numerous other ventures under its corporate umbrella, will soon choose from among its many suitors a city or county to serve as the site of its second U.S. headquarters.

Let's have a show of hands: Who out there remembers being an elementary school student and going back to school each year in the fall to have one of your first assignments be a picture/show-and-tell/report/essay about how you spent your summer vacation? "This is me, my sister, my brother, my mom, and my dad standing next to Old Faithful in Yellowstone." "I got these Mickey Mouse ears when we went to Disneyland." "For my summer vacation I played Little League baseball and hit a home run."

An oft-debated question among aspiring IT professionals is: Which will help me better land a job? Should I focus on one specific domain, or on developing a broader range of skills? Like so many of life’s questions, there is no one-size-fits-all answer, and frequently the solution is a combination of both options. While the decision is very important, and will influence the sort of jobs you will land in the beginning of your career, here are a few thoughts to consider when deciding between a targeted or shotgun approach.