You're half right -- the immersion is important, and it's critical to have other people on the same quest. Many of us go from being okay to hyper-productive in that environment. The hard thing is translating that to the real world. It's like having scurvy, then getting enough vitamin C for a while, then going back to having scurvy. You realize what a huge, huge thing it is to have all the infrastructure in place. Through skill or accident, some people are better at putting themselves in the right circumstances to thrive.
It shouldn't be underestimated, though, how important the instructors are. It felt like I imagine an old-timey apprenticeship might have felt, where a respected craftsman of watches shows you things about watchmaking that it would take decades to learn on your own.
You're half right -- the immersion is important, and it's critical to have other people on the same quest. Many of us go from being okay to hyper-productive in that environment. The hard thing is translating that to the real world. It's like having scurvy, then getting enough vitamin C for a while, then going back to having scurvy. You realize what a huge, huge thing it is to have all the infrastructure in place. Through skill or accident, some people are better at putting themselves in the right circumstances to thrive.
It shouldn't be underestimated, though, how important the instructors are. It felt like I imagine an old-timey apprenticeship might have felt, where a respected craftsman of watches shows you things about watchmaking that it would take decades to learn on your own.