Well, there's learning how it works, and then getting it to work for you, and I believe those to be two separate things. Knowledge doesn't necessarily equate to greater success.
In my case, I staked out a way to go about this early on, and they didn't include what you mention, though I might be inclined to follow a curation trail, like curie, at some point.
I like to read the posts I vote on, though, and I don't always agree with the posts that curie or any other curation trail votes up. Not very often, but it happens enough to give me pause. I also like to comment on the posts I read and I don't always have something to say there, let alone with a curation trail.
I'm not saying my way is the best way, right way, or any way other than the way I'm doing it. I'm pretty sure I'd be farther ahead if I were doing something else, but I guess that's just the way it's going to be. :)
I guess I have been steeming along in pretty much the same manner as you.
But then I am still very much a newbie with lots of things to learn about.
Plus I enjoy reading and talking to a variety of people.
Pretty soon I will have a little 50 beside my name. That may be bad in a way because people will assume I know how things work.
That couldn't be farther from the truth. There are so many things here I have not looked into yet.