Let ignorance talk as it will, learning has its value.

Knowing things is quietly useful whether or not anyone in the room respects it. There is always a loud current of opinion that study is wasted, that instinct is enough, that expertise is a pose, and it is always spoken by people who have not done the work. Their confidence is not evidence; it is volume, and it changes nothing about what learning actually does for you.

Carry on with whatever you are learning, even if it looks impractical to the people around you. Give it an hour this week without justifying it to anyone, and let the value show up later, where it usually does.