The Secret of Genius

The secret of genius lies in technical proficiency and grasp and use of abstract concepts.

When a narrow/nice field is practice repetitively, technical proficiency emerges in that field, so that the person can quickly progress through items that would take an outsider a long time to complete.

When someone can grasp abstract concepts, apply them, and form new ones, they are able to bend and break rules for narrow/nice fields and can handle a wider/more wicked field.

An example of technical proficiency is someone who can play a piano or guitar or rapidly calculate math formulae. An example of abstract concept use is a music improvisionist or someone who applies math concepts to non-math problems.

In fact, we use the word "improvising" when we are reacting to situations we are not prepared for.

How I ended up at flexjobs.com and careerpivot.com and what I learned

How did I end up at flexjobs.com and careerpivot.com? I did a search on "generalist job -nurse" (because apparently generalist rn as well as hr is a thing). Then I stumbled across a column at careerpivot.com. That led me to (the author's) podcast. One of the podcasts was an interview with someone from flexjobs.com.

Also of note, I read that in smaller companies where people need to fulfill several roles, a generalist will fare better. In a larger company that can afford to hire enough people to cover all needs, specialists will thrive.

I don't know if people can switch between being a generalist and specialist. I can only speak for my own experience. I think I specialize up to the "adept" stage in any givin discipline, then lose interest. And I don't think I'm likely to change. So it may be true that a smaller company is a better fit for me, and if it becomes a larger company, I would lose my place.