Software engineering basically selects for people being able and willing to sift through vast amounts of information and rapidly build intricate mental models in order to figure out how some system works or ought to be working. That's basically the job description.

And it's not just software engineers who tend to be 'know-it-alls'. Just spend some time on Quora.

The part about kids is a bit uncalled for though. Anyone raising kids should strive to be a specialist at raising kids, don't you think?