... but there is a certain amount of joy and amusement to such endeavors, isn't there? Why else suffer the rote exercises? For the money? It is a recreation, o

... but there is a certain amount of joy and amusement to such endeavors, isn't there? Why else suffer the rote exercises? For the money? It is a recreation, of a kind, that shouldn't be taken for granted even after doing rote derivations for ten hours a day. If you enjoy it that ten hours is rarely enough. That's how I interpreted the OP.