I think that the understanding of software engineering as an occupation is a bit oversimplified. While there are good chances most people will be working on we

I think that the understanding of software engineering as an occupation is a bit oversimplified. While there are good chances most people will be working on web or mobile applications, there's much more going on. Compilers, cryptography, compression, operating systems, graphics, simulation, data retrieval, distributed systems, etc. To that you need to add machine learning and AI. I think it is hard to come up with a unified set of tactics/strategy to be an effective engineer at each part of this occupational spectrum. For example, some engineers, while learning, try to specialize themselves in an area while others try to become generalists. Both approaches can be valid depending on the role. Some engineers focus on applied science while others on theoretical science, some others just on empirical knowledge, processes and techniques. Again, the impact of this decision will largely depend on the role. Then, prioritization is a double edged sword. To do what is perceived as important is intuitively the right thing to do. But during learning it is harder to recognize what is important. This is how many people end up neglecting valuable learning.