Does the steepness of the curve happen earlier or later in the timeline? I imagine that one could spend a long time learning the fundamentals before getting to

Does the steepness of the curve happen earlier or later in the timeline? I imagine that one could spend a long time learning the fundamentals before getting to a stage where the proficiency escalates quickly i.e. where the steepness occurs. But the long time getting there is what the term "steep learning curve" is about. Like the opposite of taking a long run at jumping off a cliff. I'm sure that this is easier to show with a graph.