1. No category

Discuss the relevance
of Creative Skillset’s
advice in 2015.
Gabby Mitton
Digital Media Development BSc
16th March 2015
Word Count: 2,170.
Contents
Introduction ......................................................................................................... 2
A Combination of Specialist Skills ...................................................................... 2
An All-round Awareness of the Industry ............................................................. 4
An Awareness of Other Skill Sets ....................................................................... 5
Conclusion .......................................................................................................... 7
References ......................................................................................................... 8
Bibliography ........................................................................................................ 8
Appendices ......................................................................................................... 9
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Gabby Mitton
Introduction
I believe that the quote taken from Creative Skillset’s website in 2014 is still
relevant in 2015 for a number of reasons. In relation to all digital media
industries and also specifically to the web design and development industry. In
web development especially you must remain aware of the industry as a whole,
and a successful web developer will have a combination of specialist skills,
either closely related to one another or across multiple skill sets, to remain
adept at doing their job. It is always easier to see the shifts in the industry if you
aren’t blinkered to one specialist area, this is why the quote is relevant; being
aware of skill sets beyond one’s own specialism will enable them to more easily
keep up to date on the trends of their industry and continue to be capable of
their job. Researching the three paragraphs of the statement, I will explore how
relevant it is. I will research further the need for a combination of specialist
skills, having an all-round awareness of the industry, and having an awareness
of other skills. Putting these areas into context by applying them to web
development will aid me, web development is a progressive industry and
changes from year to year, and this will enable me to find how relevant the
statement is in 2015. Web development is also a large industry and
encompasses a lot of skills, as this quote focuses very much on skills this will
help me add context.
A Combination of Specialist Skills
‘Practitioners typically need a combination of specialist skills … and also a
range of more general work-life skills’. (Creative Skillset, 2014 cited in Kent,
2015).
A specialist is a person who focuses on and is highly skilled in one particular
skill set within their industry, whereas a generalist is a person who is competent
in a range of skill sets, much like the common term Jack of all Trades. There
are arguments in the digital media industry and other industries, such as
business, on whether it is better to be a generalist or a specialist. It is indicated
by this quote that Creative Skillset would support the generalist side of the
argument, as this would lead to practitioners having a range of specialist skills.
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However as they state that a practitioner typically needs this combination of
skills, there is a leniency in their statement, a leniency that would have to grow
respectively with the industry.
Scheurell (2015) claims that you need to be a generalist because it means you
will have a broad base of awareness. She goes on to say that ‘someone who
speaks multiple languages within a business environment is valuable’
(Scheurell, 2015). This shows that people from other industries have the same
values as Creative Skillset continuing into 2015, that being well versed multiple
skills will aid a person in their industry. She goes on to say that specialist skills
are also needed to drill deeper into a problem. A more complex problem would
need a person with expert knowledge, and that person is often a specialist.
To be a generalist is harder in 2015 than it has been before. There are so many
new tools being created and released that one person cannot become proficient
at them all, this calls for more specialists within production teams. ‘As the
knowledge base has increased in size, specialization has come to replace the
Generalist.’ (Hicks, 2015). To become adept at all of the relevant skill sets
within one small area, for example a web developer, would be incredibly
challenging. For this example, there are so many different scripting languages
and types of software that one person could not be well practiced with all of
them. Therefore a multitude of specialists within each industry are needed so
that work can be completed competently. With specialists in such high demand
it is difficult for an individual to become knowledgeable of a multitude of skills.
The Centre for Digital Media stress the need for a practitioner to have a range
of more general skills, teaching time management skills as a part of their
masters programme. This reinforces the statement made as Creative Skillset
make this same point, having work-life skills as well as specialist skills will make
a person more employable and more capable of their job. It will also enable
them to understand better the business side of their creative or digital industry.
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An All-round Awareness of the Industry
‘Also needed is an all-round awareness of the industry, its context (particularly
relating to other sectors), processes and business issues as a whole.’ (Creative
Skillset, 2014 cited in Kent, 2015).
The digital media industry as a whole has been changing a considerable
amount in recent years, as it has been since it started, and is continuing to do.
There are new platforms and mediums rising to popularity and that in turn is
growing the industry. More and more industries are beginning to be classified as
part of the digital media industry. There are 278 job roles listed on the Creative
Skillset website for people wanting to go into the creative and digital media
industries, this shows the vast expansion of this industry since it first began.
There are a large number of roles available within each production process as
the industries have expanded leading to the demand for multi-skilled teams and
numerous specialists within these.
‘Digital media industries are unique in two ways – they have multi-skilled teams
and their business processes are unique.’ (Centre for Digital Media, 2014). The
Centre for Digital Media have a lot of values which they uphold, they believe
that each student that they teach should develop the companies’ six core
competencies. These competencies are design process, self-awareness, time
management, articulation, information literacy, and teamwork, Figure 1 shows
the key values and skills that a student will learn from each competency. They
train every student and team member to have multiple skill sets within their
chosen industry or specialism, this allows them to have an awareness for the
industry as a whole and enables them to find project management roles after
their education is complete.
For someone starting out in the industry, through education or on a self-taught
basis, learning just one area of the industry could be futile. This is due to the
progression of digital media industries, something learnt six months ago, or
even just a few months ago, could be ineffectual and need updating. Part of the
job when working in the digital media industry is to keep on top of what is being
released. ‘If I was to stop working for 18 months some of my skills would be
completely redundant.’ (Millar, 2015). Millar expresses the need to stay attentive
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to the changes in the industry in order for one’s work to continue to be relevant.
Being aware of one’s industry and having a strong awareness of their own role
within a production process would help them remain productive. You have to
stay aware of the industry in 2015, just as Creative Skillset stated in 2014 and,
as suggested by Millar, for the foreseeable future.
An Awareness of Other Skill Sets
‘Awareness of the other interactive media skill sets beyond their own specialism
is key.’ (Creative Skillset, 2014 cited in Kent, 2015).
This quote states that a practitioner should be aware of the other skills and roles
outside of their own, that understanding the work that others do will ultimately
help as it puts more context on a person’s work. For a web designer and
developer especially, this quote is presently relevant. With the changes that
occur within the digital media industry it is easier to thrive by being aware of the
jobs and skills around you, being able to adapt to the newest trend or
technology is vital and it is simpler to do this by being open minded and not
blinkered by one’s specialism.
In Cresswell’s Case Study Proposal presentation on art styles in indie and high
end gaming companies, Cresswell (2014) states that researching further into
the digital media industry that interested him was important as it’s the ‘fastest
growing industry economically’ (Cresswell, 2014). This shows that he is
maintaining an awareness of the different approaches within his intended
industry, to learn more about different specialisms outside of his own. Realising
other interactive media skill sets will enable a person to look more objectively at
their own work as well as adapt more easily if their own specialism changes or
evolves.
‘When all one’s eggs are in one basket, adaptation becomes difficult.’ (Hicks,
2015). Adaptation is a large part of this industry so to have a very focused and
fixed approach to one’s specialism could be harmful in the future. Without a
chance to adapt, their skills could become redundant, this is why being aware of
skill sets beyond one’s own will be relevant in the industry as long as it is
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changing and there is a need for adaptation. It also gives a person a safety net,
knowing of other skill sets, as a person will have more of a chance to realise if
their specialism was becoming redundant and learn a new skill that would
ensure their job.
Frontend developers are a good example of people adapting and being very
aware of other skill sets within their industry. A frontend developer knows many
of the production processes first hand which enables them to have a greater
understanding of the industry. Instead of being just a developer and knowing
mark up and web framework, or a being a designer and knowing the aesthetics
and usability. They combine these two roles to become a knowledgeable
developer that can ‘create clear, easy, fast pages and interfaces that will make
people understand and care about the information’ (Codesido, 2009). This role
enables a person to put information into context much more easily as they have
a better overall understanding beyond just one speciality. They are aware of
how content can be created across platforms. This is a great example of
awareness of multiple skill sets and awareness of their place in the production
process. There are other roles out there similar to this one that can bring
together multiple jobs to get a better overview of the task at hand and create a
better solution.
In the web development industry there have been a great deal of changes since
the start of the internet. Scripting languages rise and fall in popularity and
change is a very prominent part in this industry. With the change comes the
necessity to adapt. Millar (2015) talks about having to adapt to these constant
changes since he first started out as a developer, he says he has had to learn 5
or 6 new scripting languages since starting in the industry. This shows how
crucial adaptation is for a web developer, and to adapt one needs to be aware
of skill sets beyond their own specialism. Not only does one have to be aware of
other skill sets but relevant skill sets must be learnt to continue in the industry.
This awareness for other skill sets is a fundamental part of web development as
‘[adapting to change] basically is it’ (Cole, 2015). Adapting to change is such a
large part of working in the industry that in 2015 and, as is insinuated, for many
years to come, having an awareness of areas outside of one’s own specialism
will be key.
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Conclusion
There is not always an answer to whether it is better to be a generalist or a
specialist, it could be deduced Creative Skillset supported the view of a
generalist being more proficient for the job as they have the needed
combination of specialist skills. However the way that the industry has
transformed has led to more specialists being needed, these specialists should
have skills which enable them to understand other skill sets and roles, but not
all do. Therefore the first part of the statement from Creative Skillset’s website
in 2014 is still partially relevant, people with multiple skills are needed but not
always, not with the large range of tools and techniques that would need
mastering to be fully capable of completing a project autonomously.
When Creative Skillset discuss practitioners needing an all-inclusive awareness
of the industry, they are definitely making a relevant point even in 2015. A
person working in the digital media industry must remain alert to the changes
around them and to the future of the industry, as well as the expectations of
others involved in their projects. Without being aware of the industry at large,
they will be unable to adapt to the evolving workplace and job roles. Adapting to
the changes is an important part of the industry, especially the web
development industry, and makes Creative Skillset’s 2014 statement relevant
this year and most likely for years to come. It is definitely true that ‘Awareness
of the other interactive media skill sets beyond their own specialism is key.’
(Creative Skillset, 2014 cited in Kent, 2015).
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References
Centre for Digital Media (2014) What is Digital Media?. Available at:
http://thecdm.ca/program/digital-media. [Accessed 16 March 2015].
Codesido, I. (2009) What is front-end development?. Inside the Guardian blog.
28 September. Available at:
http://www.theguardian.com/help/insideguardian/2009/sep/28/blogpost.
[Accessed 16 March 2015].
Cole, A. (2015) Interview with Gabby Mitton, 5 March.
Cresswell, C. (2014). How do ‘Indie’ and ‘AAA’ video game developers use and
view photorealism in their games?. Research Practice [Online]. University of
Winchester. Available at:
http://learn.winchester.ac.uk/pluginfile.php/384882/mod_folder/content/0/Y2_S1
_Conor_Cresswell_CaseStudyProposal.pptx?forcedownload=1. [Accessed 16
March 2015].
Hicks, C. (2015) In praise of the Generalist. Colin Hicks. March 5. Available at:
http://colin-hicks.com/in-praise-of-the-generalist/. [Accessed 15 March 2015].
Millar, C. (2015) Email to Gabby Mitton, 13 March.
Scheurell, L. (2015) Generalist vs Specialist in Business. The Edge Blog. March
3. Available at: http://mycreativecatalyst.com/generalist-vs-specialist-inbusiness/. [Accessed 15 March 2015].
Bibliography
Centre for Digital Media (2014) What you learn. Available at:
http://thecdm.ca/program/competencies. [Accessed 14 March 2015].
Creative Skillset (2015) Job Roles. Available at:
http://creativeskillset.org/job_roles_and_stories/job_roles. [Accessed 16 March
2015].
Mazeroff, G. (2015). Generalist or Specialist. Career. March 2. Available at:
http://www.geoffmazeroff.com/2015/03/02/generalist-or-specialist/. [Accessed
15 March 2015].
Hiltz, R. (2015) Are You a Generalist or Specialist with Ryan Hanley. Social
Media Marketing. March 11. Available at: http://rayhiltz.com/are-you-ageneralist-or-specialist/. [Accessed 15 March 2015].
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Appendices
Figure 1: Centre for Digital Media (2014) MDM Competencies Map. Centre for
Digital Media. Available at: http://thecdm.ca/files/pdf/MDM-competenciesmap.pdf. [Accessed 16 March 2015].
Practitioners typically need a combination of specialist skills drawn from at least two of
the design, technical, content and business disciplines, and also a range of more
general work-life skills.
Also needed is an all-round awareness of the industry, its context (particularly
relating to other sectors), processes and business issues as a whole. It is particularly
important that practitioners, both creative and technical roles, have a strong awareness
of their position in the production process, and of the needs and expectations of others
involved in the project.
Awareness of the other interactive media skill sets beyond their own specialism
is key. As interactive and other digital media increasingly converge, awareness of how
products and content can be created across multiple platforms is vital - in particular the
way intellectual property can be used beyond its original medium. (Creative Skillset,
2014)
Creative Skillset. (2014) cited in Kent, H. (2015). Case Study Presentations &
Take Away Exam. Research Practice [Online]. University of Winchester.
Available at: http://learn.winchester.ac.uk/mod/resource/view.php?id=292435.
[Accessed 16 March 2015].
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