"Is it more important to know a wide range of technologies, or to deeply understand one?"
I often get asked this question by junior developers. To give a direct answer, the key is to know both broadly and deeply. These two states are not mutually exclusive. You cannot know something deeply without first knowing it broadly, and you can’t expand your breadth of knowledge without some depth. Yet, we often choose one over the other because it feels more convenient. It's easier to find excuses for not diving deeper or to hide laziness by not trying to broaden our knowledge.
The trends in development technologies change rapidly. Those who work in this field must constantly study to survive. Simply studying to survive isn’t fun, though. The foundation of development itself should be enjoyable, and the process of learning to grow in one’s career should be a source of joy. But how should we approach studying when it’s time to learn?
We often use expressions like “digging a hole” or “floundering around” when we feel we’re not making progress. For most of us, actual digging hasn’t been part of our lives since childhood. But remember when you were a child playing in the sand? How did you dig? If you only dug downwards, you wouldn’t get very deep. Eventually, the dirt around you would collapse, or your digging tools wouldn’t be able to go deeper. To dig deeper, you need to widen the hole first. The same applies to knowledge. You need to dig broadly and then go deeper, repeating the process of expanding and deepening your understanding.
When junior developers ask whether breadth or depth is more important, they are often at a point where they’re ready to shift their focus. They might have spent time exploring broadly, and now it’s time to dig deeper, or vice versa. If you feel like you’ve only scratched the surface, it might be time to dive deeper. Conversely, if you feel like you’ve been stuck in a deep hole, it might be time to broaden your perspective.
Sometimes, questions themselves lead to answers. The mere fact that you’re questioning whether you’re focusing too much on one or the other may be a sign that it’s time to switch your approach.