Yes!! Strongly agree. Your comment hints on why breadth of shallow knowledge (in web development) is so important: it's hard to apply somebody else's solution t

Yes!! Strongly agree. Your comment hints on why breadth of shallow knowledge (in web development) is so important: it's hard to apply somebody else's solution to a "solved problem" (e.g. email validation) when you don't know that solution exists in the first place. Often times, in software, gaining knowledge of the existence of a solution is about as useful as gaining knowledge of the application of that solution. The reason is that solutions to many software-related problems - be they data structures or form validation - often come with documentation, and figuring out how to apply the solution is relatively easy. Knowing that the solution is there to be applied prevents you from reinventing the wheel.