I also started riding when dt friction shifters were the only game in town and got what I thought was pretty good at using them them. My shiftts were pretty predictable, the chain ran quietly and I never had the chain spill to the outside or go into the spokes.
However, I've considered each step since then an advancement. DT indexing shifters were more convenient than friction and brifters were nirvana when they first arrived and still are.
Unsynchronized automobile manual transmissions were a learned skill too and required a good degree of finesse to use properly and quietly. Anyone want to go back to them for their simplicity, strength and low cost?