"only the the extremely intelligent could be successful in relatively different topics"
I'd disagree based on experience, not that I'm a successful generalist idiot (although I might be) but its extremely well known in the field, that learning your 8th language or 4th paradigm or 1000th fad or whatever is about 10x easier than learning your 2nd.
Learning one language is hard, but it scales back rapidly. How many different glyphs and syntax and formatting style can possibly exist to describe recursion, or addition, anyway?
I'd disagree based on experience, not that I'm a successful generalist idiot (although I might be) but its extremely well known in the field, that learning your 8th language or 4th paradigm or 1000th fad or whatever is about 10x easier than learning your 2nd.
Learning one language is hard, but it scales back rapidly. How many different glyphs and syntax and formatting style can possibly exist to describe recursion, or addition, anyway?
Experience compounds.