>You can only progress so much in a field of expertise before hitting diminishing return.
I suppose how long you can progress for and how far you can progress depends somewhat on the breadth and depth of the field of expertise.
Many fields of expertise are so broad and deep that they have their own sub-fields just to make them manageable.
So you would probably be in a sub-field and then broaden your knowledge and skill-set in a related sub-field of the overall field that you are well suited to.
I'm betting it's likely you can see how your own particular field, as you are on HN, replicates this pattern.
I suppose how long you can progress for and how far you can progress depends somewhat on the breadth and depth of the field of expertise.
Many fields of expertise are so broad and deep that they have their own sub-fields just to make them manageable.
So you would probably be in a sub-field and then broaden your knowledge and skill-set in a related sub-field of the overall field that you are well suited to.
I'm betting it's likely you can see how your own particular field, as you are on HN, replicates this pattern.