The case for generalist
If you’re job hunting in Nigeria right now, most small businesses can’t afford to hire five specialists. They want one person who can run the Instagram page, write the email newsletter, and glance at Google Analytics without crying. Generalists get hired faster. Full stop.
I started generalist. Content, ads, email, a bit of design. It’s how I understood the whole machine before I picked a lane.
The case for specialist
Here’s where it flips. Agencies and bigger companies pay specialists more. A marketer who’s “good at everything” often gets paid like a generalist forever — ₦150k, ₦200k, stuck. A marketer who’s genuinely excellent at one thing — technical SEO, paid ads, email deliverability — can charge premium rates because clients can’t easily replace that depth.
Specialists also travel better. A great copywriter or a great performance marketer can work with clients anywhere in the world. “I do a bit of everything” doesn’t translate the same way on a global freelance platform.
My actual answer
Start generalist. Spend your first 12-18 months touching everything — content, ads, SEO, email, analytics. You’ll naturally find the thing you’re best at and the thing you actually enjoy. Then specialize hard.
Generalist gets you your first job. Specialist gets you paid what you’re worth.
Which side are you on right now? Drop your take inside the community, I read every reply.
]]>
