> The answers I get have taught me that most programmers don't have a basic understanding of how the internet works outside of their narrow specialty Just yest

> The answers I get have taught me that most programmers don't have a basic understanding of how the internet works outside of their narrow specialty Just yesterday I couldn't fall asleep because my stupid brain thought something like "What information would I need to fully grasp the topic 'programming'?". Since I am a visual thinker, I quickly started to draw a mind map in my head that basically started with the history (starting with Alan Turing), going through electrical engineering, went through different layers and finished in different programming languages. The languages alone branched out in a pattern so large that my head startet to hurt. It included different languages, concepts, architecture patterns and compilers. Each one of those steps is important and you will find people specialized in any of those which will tell you that their part is the most important. I am a web developer myself and I try to learn and improve every day. But I also think to be really good you have to focus on a few specific parts of the process and not try to be an expert in everything there. That grew way too complex quite a while ago and trying to understand everything usually only makes you mediocre in everything but good at nothing in particular. If a web developer does not know the difference of a GET and a POST I would seriously suggest to evaluate their choice of profession. But for example the last time I've had to care about a subnet mask was 11 years ago and I would not ask anyone I recruit as a web dev to know anything about this topic. You have to draw a line somewhere. My bottom line in all this is that you should have at least a general understanding on the whole process, but you only need to be an expert in a few of them to be really good.