I see it with people who "want to learn programming" but they fizzle out.
That is not a single or 2 persons it is basically dozens of people whom I gave materials or tried to guide. It never is that they are too dumb to learn programming it is that they rather do something else than sitting in front of computer hunting down why their program doesn't compile.
For math I got good enough to barely pass, for electronics I know basics, so I am "want to learn more math"/"want to learn more electronics" person but never get to really spend time on it.
DevOps stuff, programming, databases, web frameworks is something I can fiddle with all day and not get bored, I can spend all day hunting that misconfig somewhere.
On the face value all looks the same it is fiddling with stuff and solving puzzles, but somehow one type of puzzles is more interesting for me and since I do it a lot also much easier for me.
I remember listening to a podcast where a psychiatrist was talking about something similar to what you are describing.
Take something a person could desire like wanting to learn how to play the piano, for example. Often times, what people desire is not the learning part but the end result. People are fantasizing about drilling scales and chords for days on end. People are more likely to fantasize about creating music, playing music for the enjoyment of others, the praise, etc.. So, people tend to fizzle out when the reality does not meet the expectation.
The brain tends to fantasize about all the good that something can bring, but the brain also tends to vastly underestimate the work required to achieve said goal.
I think for programming it is mostly idea of "easy job" like sit behind the keyboard and get paid loads of money, as soon it turns out it is not sitting but quite exhausting mental gymnastics they are out.
I also heard that loads of times: "get a real job" (maybe not exactly in those words but hey, that was the gist) then I got people who would try out some basic things for an hour or two feeling mentally exhausted.
Not saying they were not capable or stupid - just that they underestimate how much taxing it would be for them to do something like programming for couple hours.
It is easy for me but I am doing it for 10+ years professionally and good couple years while I was a kid.
That is not a single or 2 persons it is basically dozens of people whom I gave materials or tried to guide. It never is that they are too dumb to learn programming it is that they rather do something else than sitting in front of computer hunting down why their program doesn't compile.
For math I got good enough to barely pass, for electronics I know basics, so I am "want to learn more math"/"want to learn more electronics" person but never get to really spend time on it.
DevOps stuff, programming, databases, web frameworks is something I can fiddle with all day and not get bored, I can spend all day hunting that misconfig somewhere.
On the face value all looks the same it is fiddling with stuff and solving puzzles, but somehow one type of puzzles is more interesting for me and since I do it a lot also much easier for me.