If you're using it seriously and for a significant period of time, the time and effort spent initially learning a programming language ends up becoming a smalle

If you're using it seriously and for a significant period of time, the time and effort spent initially learning a programming language ends up becoming a smaller and less relevant factor. What ends up mattering most is how productive you are once you're familiar with it. This is where a language like Python, and most other widely used languages, tend to be much better than Scheme for most programmers. Scheme may be easier to learn initially, but it's generally much less useful in the long run in most cases.