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Development of complex systems is rarely a linear walk through the difficulty forest.

To overcome certain types of complexity requires inhuman efforts. There are problems out there that you cannot reasonably attack 15 minutes at a time. Some things take weeks to ramp into mentally.

Consider 2 scenarios: writing a web app around an existing spreadsheet using well-understood tools and frameworks vs developing a real-time/interactive raytracer from scratch.

One of these is something predictable that you can wrap a 9-5 work/life balance around. The other is a pursuit of raw passion that requires a much more dedicated & artistic approach.