Learning the shell was one of the best things I did as a programmer. It helped a lot that 15+ years ago I committed to running desktop Linux as a daily driver.

Learning the shell was one of the best things I did as a programmer. It helped a lot that 15+ years ago I committed to running desktop Linux as a daily driver. Especially back then when things were much rougher on the desktop, using Linux as a daily driver means occasionally doing something in the shell. Ultimately, just like learning a programming language, one must have a practical reason, a project, to make it worth the while to learn as you go. For someone interested in learning to use the power of the shell, don't just go read a book or do some exercises or tape a cheat sheet to the wall. Instead, commit to using it for daily tasks for a month, or for maintaining a project entirely in the shell, not even using a GUI file manager. It's tough at first but so worth it!