Basically my skills cover the general range of front end development: Goal planning, Content development, site architecture, HTML, CSS, Web standards, SEO, social media. I can write copy, take pictures, design and build the site, etc. But I don’t do back-end programming or server administration. I’d like to learn more programming, but also realize that there just isn’t time to do everything. If I have a project that needs a programmer I have people I can work with to implement those particular needs.

That said, it’s handy to have a broad skill set. Knowing SEO helps me to design sites with that in mind, understanding usability keeps me from letting the design overshadow functionality. All the details work together so it’s helpful to know how they integrate.

I also think the importance of one’s skillset depends heavily on the job role that you’re fulfilling. For example if you manage a group of people then you don’t need to have the skills to do everything, but you do need a good understanding of the methods used and required by each person in your team. It’s also equally important for the team members to have an understanding of what everyone does, and then to specialize in their own areas.

That’s my take on things anyway. Good article.

You might be interested to read a few recent(ish) articles discussing this exact issue. The growing concensus of opinion is a move toward ‘T-shaped’ people; professionals with specialist knowledge of a specific area but a good general knowledge.

This is what we’re currently trying to do with the Redweb UX team by the way.

Specialists Versus Generalists: A False Dichotomy?

Ideal UX Team Makeup: Specialists, Generalists, or Compartmentalists by Jared Spool.