We recently had a network technician from Verizon work on our FiOS connection. They have machines that can detect light refraction (OTDR) in Fiber Optic lines and pinpoint where it is down to the foot. This is the reason to specialize. If this is your path, get your Ph D, and become the best at that.
“If you’re working on well-defined and well-understood problems, specialists work very, very well,” he told me. “As ambiguity and uncertainty increases, which is the norm with systems problems, breadth becomes increasingly important.” From Range