There's a Scott Alexandar story that plays with this exact topic: Ars Longa, Vita Brevis [1]

To your point, I think you're right. I'm not in mathematica, but the value of good pedagogy on shrinking the time it takes to get people to the forefront of any field feels like it's heavily overlooked.

https://slatestarcodex.com/2017/11/09/ars-longa-vita-brevis/