There are two sides to this debate. First, should I just be a DBA or should I also learn the other technologies as well and become a generalists or just specialize as a DBA. Second, given that I am a DBA am I already a generalists DBA or am I specialized DBA, i.e. Production DBA, Development DBA, BI Architect. I would contended that the longer you work as a DBA the more general you become simply because you have touched many different types of technologies over the years. Also, you need to generally be aware of the other technologies in order to communicate with developers and managers.

By definition, a Data Architect is a highly specialized generalist. You had better be a specialist in SQL Server, but a generalist in other RDBMS. You also need to have a high level understanding of current front end development tools. In order to converse with other members of the team, I need to know current Server and Storage Technology. I should be able understand nightly enterprise scheduling and the fact that my application may not be they only one or even the most important platform for a Data Center to care about. I need to understand the business of the company and how to read financial reports and understand C-Level needs and wants.

… On Second thought, maybe I should just specialize in SQL Servers and only talk to computers … or better yet, mop some floors.