In our previous article, we have challenged ourselves with the question, “Is it a lot more profitable to go with one or a few skills rather than be a versatile virtual assistant?” This question is particularly difficult to answer, as both specialization and versatility has both merits and disadvantages unique to each.
Rather than down right assume an answer, we have tackled the advantages to allow you to weigh for yourself whether or not specialization is better than versatility. Of course, that remains an incomplete picture as is. Specialization, as earlier mentioned, has its own disadvantages, as versatility also do. As such, we will be discussing the downsides of specialization, and how it can affect your chances of making it big online.
- Specialization sacrifices resiliency. The skills market is fluid and changes alongside technology and good old economics. That said, if you are specialized in a single skill or a small skill set, you may find it hard to find other markets to run to should your own niche somehow ends up unprofitable. Specialization simply does not give you much in terms of resiliency, and you will have to learn a new skill should your current skill set ends up no longer relevant.
- You may end up outdated. As mentioned in the above paragraph, the skills market is ever changing thanks to technology and economic trends. What this means is that, eventually, the field that you specializes in ends up outdated and no longer profitable. You will end up unemployed for quite a while should such a time come, as you may be forced to adapt other, more profitable skills.
- You sacrifice multitasking skills. As you only get to do one thing in your job, you will not always get the chance to practice multitasking. This is an essential skill that, in healthy doses, can improve productivity—both yours and, naturally, that of your client.
- Doing the same thing over and over will bore you. Indeed, you grow as you gain experience in whatever field it is that you chose to specialize in. However, it\’s hard not to admit that repeatedly doing the same thing can get boring in the long run. The quality of your work suffers along with your enthusiasm, and this should be something that specialized VAs should watch out for.
Are you for specialization, or do you think versatility in the VA industry is more profitable? Discuss in the comments!
