Exactly. This is why I say people aren't just "smart", they're smart in certain topics, whether it'd be because they're interested in it, spent a lot of time learning about it, always have been around it/people doing the activity, or a combination.
I don't like going out there and calling my self smart, can make people seek like assholes, but I'm genuinely interested on computer hardware. Now I don't know shit compared to someone with a full career working at a tech giant, manufacturing or even designing some of the hardware, but I get a slight guts of it, and it allows me to trouble shoot stuff, know what to look for, how to search for the solution to the problem, etc..
I'm the IT guy in my house, I get it that not everyone can work technology like I do, and that's okay. We each have our own niche. My younger 16yr old brother doesnt know even some of the basic stuff in technology, practically tech illiterate, but he know so much about cars. He can take just a few seconds to look at pretty much any vehicle and tell you what it is, what engine it probably has and other stuff.
I'm stupid and completely illiterate when it comes to cars, knowing how exactly they work.