Range Is The New Black
Why Developing Range Is the Most Important Thing You Can Do for Managing and Developing Your Career
It was winter of 2007. At that point, I had spent almost a decade of my career building and designing tech and data on open source technologies. I decided to take a bold and partly seemingly foolish 180 degree turn into a business role as a finance analyst with the ‘feeling’ that it was the right thing to do as a next step in my career, even if it came at the expense of giving up a promising career growth in tech. I worked at one of the largest global companies in the world at their HQ at that time. With a highly supportive management sponsoring my career pursuit, we concluded this transition from tech to finance would be a great next step. It took me from being a desk-bound architect who only ever was among deep tech audience to working with execs who ran P&Ls - something I was not exactly prepared for.
Day 1 on a new job typically brings excitement and a spring in ones’s step, that unfortunately was not quite how it went down for me. My first meeting of my first day was an ‘financial operating review’. On the slide projected on the conference room screen was a deck full of numbers with bare minimum commentary. I was surrounded by finance undergraduates, with most of my colleagues about 5 to 10 years younger than me (some right out of college). Everyone felt poised, calm, confident and provided their ‘insights’ - none of which made any sense to me. Thirty minutes into the meeting, I started developing an uneasy feeling, starting with the thought that I was in the wrong room. Those thoughts started to become heavier with the weight of discomfort, and a terrible achy feeling that I just made a seriously wrong career move. After all, it was becoming clear that I was the least qualified person on that team, because I had no background in finance. I had never taken an accounting class ever ( a pre-requisite to even have that job). Granted, I was getting into B-school that spring, but my accounting and finance classes were not until 6 months in the fall. I was formally an engineering undergraduate and really was a tech-bro.
The next few days I continued to churn through buyer’s remorse. I stayed put. I told myself, ‘I am going to give it a year’. Like anything else, the initial shock of ‘I made a mistake’ came to pass as I started to become resourceful and began learning on the job as well as building my network of experts I could go to when I needed help.
The first year in that job was possibly the lowest ‘productive’ year of my career if productivity was to me measured both in some sense of ‘throughput’ for my employer and personal sense of accomplishment - something you could be proud to claim. I couldn’t escape the feeling that I had hit a new trough.
Many years later I moved onto to do other functional and analytical roles after “grinding” it out and learning everything I possibly could in that job including corporate financial planning, corporate strategy, investment analysis, expense modeling, financial modeling, and, a solid understanding of accounting (I’d be remiss if don’t include accounting standards), as well as the essence of being able to understand and learning to articulate ‘what is the story here’ to communicate with senior executives whose P&Ls I was responsible to manage.
Fast forward more than a decade and a half now, I can unequivocally say that was the most transformative career switch I ever made. The first principles of critical thinking, analytical skills, story telling all came out of that job which has continued to manifest in many of my roles after that point on and allowed me to grow professionally.
This personal journey, which seemed like a career-threatening mistake at first, turned out to be a masterclass in what author David Epstein would later articulate in his groundbreaking book “Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World.” Published in 2019, this book arrived at a crucial moment when tech industry is at the epicenter of an AI led transformations across industries that’s reshaping how we think about jobs, expertise, careers, and professional growth among other things.
If there is one book I can recommend anyone serious about developing their abilities and career and that of their teams, it is this book. Be forewarned the some of the ideas challenge conventional wisdom we have all come to accept, and might lead you with what I like to call '“brain-breaking moments”
In an era where your favorite AI tool can write complex code, the conventional wisdom of becoming a narrow specialist starts to seem increasingly precarious. The tech industry’s long-standing mantra of “go deep, not broad” is being challenged not just by AI’s capabilities, but by the very nature of innovation and problem-solving in our complex world. Don’t believe me? Try vibe-coding and see how quickly you can get your first MVP off the ground.
Epstein’s work shatters the popular “10,000-hour rule” now entrenched in popular contemporary professional development literature. It challenges our deeply held beliefs about early specialization and expertise. Through compelling research and fascinating stories - from Roger Federer’s late specialization in tennis to Nintendo’s journey from a playing card company to a gaming giant - the book reveals how individuals with broad experiences and diverse skill sets often outperform deep specialists, especially in fields characterized by rapid change and uncertainty. Not quite what we have known to believe.
For tech professionals, this message couldn’t be more timely. As AI continues to automate routine technical tasks and reshape traditional roles, the ability to adapt, connect disparate ideas, and see the bigger picture becomes increasingly valuable. The future belongs not to those who can write the most efficient algorithm, but to those who can understand the human context, spot unconventional opportunities, and navigate complex systems thinking.
What makes “Range” particularly relevant for today’s tech professionals is its challenge to the traditional career ladder. In an industry where the pressure to specialize early and deeply is intense, Epstein’s research shows that late specialization and diverse experiences can lead to more innovative thinking and better problem-solving abilities. This isn’t just about career survival in the AI era; it’s about thriving through intellectual agility and adaptability.
As we dive deeper into “Range,” I’ll demonstrate how its principles can be applied specifically to tech careers in an AI-transformed world. We’ll examine why some of the most successful tech leaders aren’t pure technologists but rather individuals who’ve cultivated broad perspectives and diverse skill sets. More importantly, we’ll discuss practical strategies for expanding your own range while leveraging your existing technical expertise.
Whether you’re a data scientist feeling boxed in by your specialization, a software engineer wondering about your role in an AI-driven future, or a tech leader looking to build more adaptable teams, this journey through “Range” will challenge your assumptions and open new possibilities for growth.
Get ready for some (again) brain-breaking moments as we challenge conventional wisdom and explore why range isn’t just a nice-to-have anymore - it’s the new black in professional success. You don’t want to miss this series. Go ahead and subscribe. More coming soon.
Until next time,
Vijay
PS. If you missed the cultural reference to the title. See OITNB here: Orange is the new black
PPS. If you really liked this, please consider sharing with a friend you think might find this of value. I would really appreciate that!
I resonate. Your exploration of range remains incredibily insightful.