Hi Jerry

It seems like your comparing apples to oranges in your post!

But I would like to make a comment about your observation on learning
and retaining information.

I was a not to shabby chip level service technician for a moderately
large entertainment company for several years. Although the
technology advances so fast and quarterly seminars must be attended to
keep up, basic electronic theory virtually never changes.

I had to take off work due to an illness in the family, unfortunately
this illness lingered for a few years.
Being his ace tech, the boss had the doors wide open for me to return
to work any time I needed my job back.
Well, the day came that I decided to go back to work. But it was
futile, not the new technology currently in use, I couldn't even fix a
simple analog power supply.
Sometime during that short span off work, I completely lost it. Not
just the technical, but the most simplistic of everyday electronic
repair tasks.
There is something to the phrase 'use it or lose it' that really hit
home with me!

TTUL
Gary