T-shaped career path: what it is, how it works, and advantages.

The model of Career in T It works against what we usually see as ideal with regard to professional development.

What is a T-shaped career?

You've probably heard that the natural course of a career is to be a generalist and then become a specialist.

This can be seen in medicine, for example, where after graduating, professionals work in general care, and as they progress through specializations, they begin to treat increasingly specific cases.

These examples lead us to believe that the more specialized a professional is, the rarer they are. This view isn't wrong, but to what extent is having a professional so focused on their own role advantageous for a team?

The T-shaped career path is a proposal that works against the traditional model, since here the professional invests in various specializations until reaching the level of a generalist, where they possess knowledge of varied functions within the same niche..

This decentralized knowledge is what makes the T-shaped professional so valuable to the market, since this is the ideal talent for a management position, for example.

In general, these professionals are able to manage projects comprehensively, since they understand each of the processes and functions necessary to achieve the desired result.

So, with a professional like that in a leadership position, you'll hardly ever have that feeling of: "my boss has no idea what I'm talking about." You can be sure that he does know, after all, he's already specialized in it.

Steps in a T-shaped career

By now you understand what a Career in T, and knows that it works in a way that is the opposite of the traditional model.

However, specializing in various career niches isn't enough, as that will only result in a well-filled resume.

A T-shaped career path should be well-planned so that each specialization and acquired knowledge allows the professional to have a complete vision, and not just fragmented perspectives.

Therefore, we will now look at the 3 steps to building this type of career.

1. Acquiring knowledge

The first step in a T-shaped career path is precisely to gain knowledge; after all, nobody starts at the top, and before investing in specializations, you will have to experience the basic levels of the career.

Therefore, start small, focus on internships or assistant positions, and progress as you acquire the necessary basic knowledge.

After learning all the basics, you will naturally be encouraged to seek specializations that bring you new challenges.

2. Deepening of knowledge

If you've already completed all the basic career steps and now realize you need new challenges that allow you to expand, it's a sign that you've reached the second step of your career. Career in T.

In this second stage, your career continues to progress vertically, so your main goal is to obtain specializations to advance both in knowledge and professionally.

The idea behind this second stage is precisely to make your profile increasingly rare, that is, to acquire the necessary knowledge to become a reference in your field.

3. Expansion of knowledge

The third step in the T-shaped career path arrives at the point where the professional realizes they have reached the highest level of specialization in their career and now needs to find ways to "disseminate" that knowledge.

So, a Senior Marketing Analyst becomes a university professor, or takes on a leadership role in a company, but now instead of performing tasks, they coordinate entire processes.

Note that, although these new roles are generalist, they require the professional to have complete and advanced knowledge in all aspects of their field.

Is there a right age to change careers? Learn all about career transitions (oadministrador.com).

What are the advantages of a T-shaped career path?

Now that we've been able to understand how a Career in T It works, now we just need to talk about the advantages of this model.

That's because this model is quite different from the conventional one, so it's important to know the benefits before joining. See below 3 advantages of this type of career.

Steady growth and predictability

If you hate the idea of seeing your career stagnate and are afraid of spending years in the same position hoping to be noticed by management, with the T-shaped career path this problem doesn't exist.

This is because this type of career encourages professional development and improvement, so growth is inevitable.

Furthermore, the model makes it clear that growth occurs through the completion of specialization stages, thus providing predictability for the professional.

Financial gains

If having a highly specialized professional in their role is expensive for a company, imagine the cost of having a talented individual with specializations in various niches?

A T-shaped professional is usually very well paid, since they offer invaluable value to the company: complete management skills and experience.

Therefore, by investing in a T-shaped career path, the chances of obtaining significant financial gains are very good.

New paths, even after reaching the top.

The idea of reaching the highest level in a career is usually appealing, but for those who have already achieved it, the question often arises: what now?

With a T-shaped career path, you just need to look around and you'll see many possibilities. Your career isn't limited to one high-level position.

Tired of being a boss at a multinational company? Go teach at a university and encourage and prepare young people for their professional dreams!

There are always career paths to follow in this type of career, so if you want to have options and always be active, this is a great path to take!

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Roberta

I am a member of the O Administrador team and I produce content about career, personal finance, financial education, productivity, and professional development. My goal is to share clear and practical information to help readers with their day-to-day decisions.

July 24, 2024