Becoming T shaped
At the very beginning of my time at BDW, I remember watching a teacher draw out on the white board what it meant to develop a T shaped skill set,across the top having a broad set of skills and then down the bottom having a deeper specialty. I remember feeling overwhelmed about developing all these skills and being unsure what my specialty would be. Would I even have a specialty? I now understand that being a generalist is having T shaped skills and how beneficial that can be when looking for a job.
During our time at BDW we as students are exposed to all sorts of roles in the design/tech industry. We learn the ins and outs of being a designer, how to create the best experience with user-centered design, how to think creatively about technology and how to write basic front-end code. As we work on teams for various projects, we practice these different roles to figure out which we each enjoy the most and what our individual strengths are. Even though I know my favorite area of work, I enjoy learning and practicing the different parts. I love design, but really enjoy thinking outside the box for creative tech. We as students have become generalists, knowing a decent amount about a lot of different things.
In the workplace, being a generalist has its benefits. We can quickly adapt to a new environment, help out in any area that may need a boost and can contribute in whatever way may be needed. In my opinion the most beneficial part to being a generalist is the ability to easily communicate with others in your work environment. Meghan Casserly, the author of this Forbes article quotes the author Carter Phipps from his book Evolutionaries saying “Only by understanding the work within fields to the right and the left of your own can you understand the bigger picture”. The ability to constantly keep an eye on the bigger picture will always allow the work to be created at its best. Being able to relate and efficiently communicate with those surrounding you in the workplace will always benefit you and those you are working with and therefore have the best outcomes. The way BDW is structured allows us to practice working that way and will greatly benefit each of us in our future professional careers.
