If you understand your tools really well, you will be a 10x because you will know what patterns to use and which ones to avoid. For example, I've written an op

If you understand your tools really well, you will be a 10x because you will know what patterns to use and which ones to avoid. For example, I've written an open source project related to real-time web systems and so I can build chat systems 10x faster and probably 10x better than a typical senior developer but ask me to program a drone and I will be 1/10th as fast as someone who is an expert in that field and I probably won't be as good. After you become a senior software engineer and have honed your skills in critical thinking and problem solving, all that is left to differentiate yourself are your specializations. There are lots of generic senior level developers but very few in any given niche.