Why Engineers Need More Than One Road
June 14, 2025Tags: careers, community
Let’s be honest, the phrase “stay in your lane” has been tossed around a lot lately. It’s often offered as advice, a comforting little nugget of wisdom suggesting you focus on your specific expertise and leave the rest to others. But in this economy, clinging to that advice might be one of the most dangerous things you can do.
I’ve been talking to some friends recently - brilliant folks who’d carved out incredibly niche skills - and they’ve recently been laid off. They were hyper-specialized, deeply proficient in areas that seemed amazing in a very specific environment. And now? They’re staring down the barrel of needing to reskill and find new opportunities. It’s a stark reminder that the world has changed, and the rigid silos of yesterday simply don’t exist anymore.
Let’s acknowledge this: within huge, traditional corporations, sometimes that “stay in your lane” mentality makes a certain twisted sense. It’s about optimizing workflows within those contained spaces. But when collaboration, community, and adaptability are key, that advice morphs into a restrictive barrier, actively hindering progress. It’s like building a fort only to realize you’re completely cut off from the rest of the neighborhood.
The Rise of the T-Shaped Developer (and Beyond)
We need to shift our thinking. We need to embrace the concept of the T-shaped developer. This isn’t some new buzzword; it’s a fundamentally smarter approach to problem-solving and career development. Think of it like this: you have deep, foundational knowledge in one area (the vertical part of the “T”) and a broad understanding of related disciplines (the horizontal part).
Personally, I’m not a T-shaped developer. And that’s okay! I’ll admit, I’m a bit of a chaotic polymath. I get a genuine thrill from diving into a lot of different areas. DevOps, database administration, reports generation, front-end work, UX work… honestly, it’s a buffet of fascinating challenges, and I happily devour them all. Creating a 3D model for printing? Crimping network cables? Those aren’t in my wheelhouse. My brain thrives on variety, and frankly, specialization feels limiting.
Don’t Fear the Generalist
The thing is, being a generalist isn’t about being less skilled. It’s about being more adaptable, more innovative, and more likely to identify and solve problems that someone focused solely on one area might miss. The ability to connect disparate pieces of information and build bridges between teams is becoming increasingly valuable.
This isn’t about abandoning deep expertise entirely. It’s about recognizing that the modern tech landscape demands a broader skillset. It’s about being comfortable with the messy, ambiguous, and often unpredictable nature of real-world problems.
A Mama Bear’s Plea
Let’s be a community and support each other. Let’s foster a culture of learning, experimentation, and collaboration. Let’s stop putting up walls and start building bridges. Don’t let the pressure to “stay in your lane” prevent you from exploring new possibilities and contributing your unique perspective to the world.
Because, let’s be honest, a little chaos can be a really good thing.