I am not quite 'just starting out' more like 're-starting out' I liked to think of myself as a lapsed programmer. I am also not looking for an employer (I just got lucky in that I don't need to work for someone ever again)
But what I do like is your idea of knowing what a new tool is doing. My big reason from learning everything again from scratch is that I've found that 30 years ago, I knew how to make things happen in assembly language. 20 years ago I switched to high level languages. And somehow, about 15 years ago I became a cargo-cult programmer.
So in a way I'm trying to regain my roots, but I also am doing it with an eye on being super productive in the future.
But what I do like is your idea of knowing what a new tool is doing. My big reason from learning everything again from scratch is that I've found that 30 years ago, I knew how to make things happen in assembly language. 20 years ago I switched to high level languages. And somehow, about 15 years ago I became a cargo-cult programmer.
So in a way I'm trying to regain my roots, but I also am doing it with an eye on being super productive in the future.