Computers are pretty neat creations that were designed with one idea in mind, "efficiency." A well-built machine can eat anything you throw at it, provided all the components work together in complete synchronicity. This means no bottlenecks. The processor isn't holding the GPU back, or the RAM isn't holding the system back, or the OS isn't holding the RAM back. To acquire such a beast of a machine that does everything well will cost quite some coin. That's why there are different configurations that meet different needs. Some people want a fast processor for video editing, some people want a cool and reliable machine for simple word processing and web browsing, and some just want the best of the best because they want to max out Crysis 2.
People are the same way. Replace processing with "thinking" and everything else with "skills." Companies look to hire specific skillsets. Some look for specialty machines designed to do one task really well, and some are just looking for well-rounded systems that can do a little bit of everything. There has been a shift in work philosophy however. Just like how processors have evolved from single core to multiple cores, so too have people shifted from specialists to generalists.
If you try looking for a single-core processor nowadays, it might be more expensive than you think, simply because they're out of production. The old-school experts are the same way. They make the big bucks simply because they're professionals in a small field, but this makes their expertise all the more rare.
When it came to my work, I used to do it in single-minded fashion. I grinded it out until I was done. Given that my time has now been split up in seven ways from Sunday, I can no longer afford the luxury of doing 5-hour marches. So I had to upgrade myself.
Ladies and gentlemen, I now possess the ability to work in projects in parcel-parallel fashion, which means I do a little bit of work on a different project each day. Instead of completing projects one after the other, I work on multiple projects in congruent fashion.
Computers don't have the ability to adapt themselves to different situations, fortunately, people can. That's why we can update computers with different parts and make them adapt to the different tasks we throw at them.
Ask yourself this: Do I need someone else to help me adapt, or can I do it myself?
