ok, taking me a bit too literally..
Not at all. The fact that you can't see the benefit doesn't mean that it
doesn't exist. And the goal is not "to be effective in ASP.Net" but to be an
excellent programmer. I worked for quite a few years doing ASP and ASP.Net
exclusively. Now, I hardly do any ASP.Net at all. Life is long, and full of
changes. These days, to keep up you have to look ahead. Since, of course, it
is not possible to see ahead, the only alternative is to prepare for
whatever may come. IOW, a well-rounded education in whatever specialty one
chooses for a career, the more likely one is to be prepared for future
changes.
I study all kinds of things related to programming in various ways -
Mathematics, Physics, Geography, Psychology, Medicine, and a plethora of
other scientific and technical disciplines. At various points I have had to
have or acquire knowledge in some of these other disciplines. And knowledge
is not so pigeon-holed as you might think. Knowledge in one area often leads
to new knowledge in another area. While I don't study *everything* I tend to
be fairly broad within the realm of related disciplines.
Even just within the realm of ASP.Net, you have multiple languages and
technologies in play. You have JavaScript, for example, as a client-side
programming language. It is helpful to understand the HTTP protocol, the
HTML DOM, CSS, and XML. At various times, one might employ COM, or ActiveX,
or even Flash. So, the broader one's understanding is of various programming
languages and technologies, the more likely one is to be successful in
ASP.Net.
--
HTH,
Kevin Spencer
Microsoft MVP
Chicken Salad Surgery
What You Seek Is What You Get.