I don't have much to say for today, but I do want to put into words something I've thought about previously. Namely, it seems that the degree of specialization varies between research groups and what this means for individuals looking to enter graduate school or change jobs. By degree of specialization, I'm referring to the extent to which a researcher's problems encompass a number of different academic fields. A high degree of specialization will involve problems that do not utilize concepts from other fields and vice-versa.
**The following lists are my opinions only. I realize that some statements may be regarded as contentious. However, these opinions are based on my experiences and to me, at least, carry a degree of truth.**
Characteristics of a highly specialized field are:
- There are many unsolved problems; these often involve refinements to simpler models
- One does not need to maintain a wide breadth of knowledge across other fields
- One's skills may be extremely marketable, but in a field of limited size
- One may control the direction of his or her field more easily since there are fewer competing researchers and ideas to contend with
Characteristics of a less-specialized field are:
- You can apply to many different jobs, though you may not usually be the best candidate
- Solutions to problems make a large impact since the problems apply to many settings
- It is more difficult to read a majority of research articles that one finds since one is not as well-versed in the details
- One's research is more likely to be attacked by those more specialized if you neglect some newer and precise models (I often find that this is the case, even if the more precise models do not weigh upon the problem I am solving)
