I agree, as long as the attempt at expertise is not at the expense of getting stuff done. I have met people who have a great grasp of foundational principles an

I agree, as long as the attempt at expertise is not at the expense of getting stuff done. I have met people who have a great grasp of foundational principles and it shows. I have met other people who take so long trying to understand something before they use it, they don't get their work done. You are so right about the pursuit of excellence being important but the industry is still way too fragmented. If a Doctor said they don't really need to know stuff, they would work it out as they went along, they wouldn't work for long. In Software Engineering, we are still treated (and act!) like some basic trade where the risks are low enough not to care.