What's the Difference Between Documentary and Descriptive Linguistics?

This is the second of a two-parter on generativism, the linguistic school of thought originated by Noam Chomsky. This time, it's from the perspective of early-career researchers. How is generativism relevant to them, and how do they regard its claims?

We ask:

• What importance does linguistic theory have on day-to-day research?
• How does generativism relate to nativism, the idea that at least some language is innate?
• Is there a conflict between generativism and functionalism today?
• What's the next step in the generative enterprise?