If you put away 100 dollars when you are 20 and it compounds at 10% you will have 7280.05 when you are sixty-five.
It is far easier to put 100 dollars away than putting 2780.05 away.
This works the same way with learning new skills. If you understand the basics then learning the next level is ten times faster than if you need to learn the basics at the same time.
Invest now in the things that have an exponential payback over time.