Right, but I am a middle-aged bloke who is experiencing existential angst about whether I can carry on in this industry.

I have a pretty deep, maybe paranoid need to be confident I have an intrinsic understanding, and I have found in my life that lessons come to you when you make yourself open to learning.

So I need to build on top of what I know, taking as much of the hard way as I can bear to take at any one time — it has to be not quite difficult enough to put me off.

I can't really explain what I have learned this way that is different, but I feel it in a way that I wouldn't if I'd simply pushed a button.

For the same reason, I have a really basic 3D printer that I've set up myself, set up Klipper, configured how I want it, learned how to calibrate, all that. And now I can say that I feel I have an understanding of 3D printing. I could hold my head above water in a discussion with a real expert, maybe find work in an adjacent field where my insights would keep me grounded.

I can afford a really good printer that has all that set up, and more, has no problems. But I'd just be someone who has a 3D printer.

(Also who am I kidding about the existence of a printer with no problems)

I don't necessarily think your answer is wrong for all people, but if you work in software... how do you plan to differentiate yourself from everyone else out there, if the depth of your understanding is "Claude can do it for me"?

>no need to learn, just ask it to do it for you

And that's how skills die.

Then what is the point of ddalex?

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