(February 7, 2011 at 6:24 am)Aerzia Saerules Arktuos Wrote: Depends on how useful the specializations are, and how useful the thing(s) one is weakening themself in are. Balance is all well and good... but being balanced doesn't mean one is talented. Talent is much more applicable than being a 'jack of all trades, master of none'. I'd rather have three masters in three fields working for me than one journeyman capable of the three noted fields that all compete for his time.
Ironic, then, how new advances in the fields of biology and physics (biophysics) is being made by people capable of both fields. Of course, one field is actually very rigorous through mathematics, the other through memorization. Still, the destructive protein crystallography, inner ear, etc, projects must be lesser, after all, they have journeyman and masters in both fields.
Part of being in physics is the ability to work on damn near anything relating to math and science. Don't believe me, let the SPS speak: http://www.spsnational.org/cup/profiles/index.html
Point being, cross-disciplinary actions are becoming more valuable today, not pure specialization.
