Y-shaped career: an alternative for those who don't want to be a boss

Have you ever heard of the Y career? Look: you love doing research and solving problems. You love the famous concept of “getting your hands dirty” and are constantly learning about a particular area or role.

But what is a Y career?

In the not-so-distant past, professionals only had one possible path to growth within a company: the linear path.

That is, upon reaching a senior level, you would have three choices: take on a position as a manager (manager, supervisor, coordinator, among others), stay in your current position forever or until you find another job or forever or resign.

The main problem with this model is that people who dreamed of growing and gaining professional recognition were practically forced to accept a management position to achieve their goal.

However, because there are different professional profiles, companies began to realize that efforts should be directed towards transforming an excellent technical professional, for example, into an exceptional specialist, giving him the chance to have the same recognition as someone who accepted to take on a management position.

This is the concept of the Y career. In this model, the professional has the freedom and possibility to choose between pursuing a management career or opting to be highly qualified in a subject or area.

And of course, always being able to enjoy the same prestige and recognition regardless of which line he chooses to follow.

Current career scenario in Y

Many employers complain about the lack of specialized professionals in the job market.

According to a 2013 survey by ManpowerGroup, more than 35% of the recruiters interviewed said they faced difficulty filling vacancies due to the lack of talent in the market.

Additionally, over 54% stated that this difficulty directly impacted their business or customer delivery.

On the professional side, the time when people worked just to support themselves is long gone.

Nowadays, they increasingly seek fulfillment and happiness at work.

Therefore, the Y career concept can meet both ends: retain highly qualified professionals to overcome the lack of technical labor and allow them to feel fulfilled in their profession, without necessarily being forced to take on a people management role.

Furthermore, a specialist professional brings with him the following characteristics:

Focused on process results, research and discoveries;
Specific knowledge and high specialization in a subject;
Autonomy in your role and projects;
Leader profile, but without people management;
Motivated by problem solving.

Although these characteristics are the most sought after when it comes to managerial or specialized roles, they vary depending on the company context.

The market does not define right or wrong, but the quantity and type of opportunities may become more or less restricted.

Another point worth highlighting is that choosing any area in career Y means an emphasis, not a restriction.

In other words, a professional's set of duties may include both managerial and technical activities. The difference is that they will be predominantly focused on one of the alternatives.

Advantages of a Y career

As we will see below, there are many benefits to the Y career model, check it out.

1 – Greater career opportunities

Specialist technicians are highly valued in organizations, especially in the industrial and technology sectors.

This professional's vision is essential in decision-making.

After all, they are the ones who take care of everything from equipment development and maintenance to software structures, robot programming and artificial intelligence devices.

2 – Development of new skills and abilities

Those who choose a specialist career have a path of constant learning and development of new skills.

Generally, organizations invest in courses and training and maintain agreements with educational institutions to promote the development of professionals, who become increasingly experienced in their field.

3 – Development of a new vision

Creative processes require the involvement of technicians from related areas.

Thus, the specialist collaborator is always involved in methodologies that bring about change and innovation.

They have the opportunity to create and improve the company's means of production and processes, developing their innovative and creative vision.

4 – Better use of the professional’s skills

Anyone can develop leadership skills, however, not everyone feels comfortable managing teams and dealing with people.

For this reason, the Y career is ideal for providing opportunities for introspective and shy people, favoring their professional growth and the use of their best skills, where they can show and use their full potential.

What about the T-shaped career?

In addition to the linear career and the model we explain in this article, another model is under development: the T-shaped career.

In the Y model, the professional chooses between two areas (managerial and technical), while in the T model, the professional decides to pursue both options simultaneously. After all, there are people who adapt equally to both possibilities, and achieve consistent progression in both cases.

This model is mainly recommended for those who are starting their careers, even with an idea of their skills, who want to confirm which area stands out the most.

Furthermore, experience in an area that the professional was not expecting can reveal skills and potential that were previously unknown.

A very valuable experience for employees who have greater availability for the company and want to increase their learning and advance further in their career.

Conclusion

Regardless of your profile, there are opportunities for all professionals.

The biggest advantage of the new career models is this: They continue to give space to those who excel in the linear career, while valuing and creating opportunities for talented professionals who were previously unrecognized.

Which area do you identify with the most? Does your company follow the Y or T career model and guarantee recognition and opportunities for different talents?