Definitely relates to software dev where some developers have 15 years experience and some have 15x 1 year of the same thing.

In reality I think most developers have careers that look like:

* 2-3 years of explosive growth and exposure * 5-10 years of slower growth and increased mastery * then diverge to shorter periods of stair-stepping (new technologies / faster mastery), coast on what they already know well or move out of active development