I'll explain it a bit more. In the late 80s and early 90s, I.T largely was a "jack of all trades" industry. You had to be a packet chaser, OS guy, application guy, web guy all rolled into one. Then the 1st hotshots to really come out of school w/ a degree in CIS, CS etc. started specializing. At that point, they didn't want the jack of all trades guy - they wanted the specialist - the 1 thing you do, you do it better than any1 on the planet. So a lot of guys who "hacked their way into employment" (like me) were losing ground - data centers were growing way too big to not have specialists. Then the bust - but we won't get into that - it's another topic. NOW, you can't just be a scope-dope and secure any kinda real job - not for the long term. You have to be well-versed in more than one thing. It's not as wild-wild west as it used to be, but you best believe you are gonna have to know some1 else's job if you wanna be around for the long term. Any1 who works in I.T will tell you this. But hey - if you're a 1 hit wonder and still have your job good for you - but you can't put your eggs in 1 basket in I.T anymore - you will drown.

PS: and yes I have seen guys go from desktop support into serious roles. You're either technical or you're not. The Sr. SAP Engineer at coke right here in ATL did EXACTLY that.