Although I am new to the monastery, I am not new to Perl. I have been using Perl for nearly 10 years. Staggering, when I think about it! Especially considering how little I know compared to the many gurus in the community.
Your post was very thought provoking, or rather, it provoked a self examination of my own knowledge of the language. Like you, there are many functions and features of the language that I have not learned. However, the one feature of Perl that makes it great is its flexibility. It is because of its flexibility that we all continually learn.
Many of us tend to do very repetitive tasks in Perl. This tends to put blinders on us--we tread the familiar path, without looking for other directions. Every once in a while, we discover someone elses solution to the same or similar task. Inevitably, we learn something new, whether it is an introduction to a new function, or an enhanced understanding of a familiar one, or a technique resulting in an improved script.
Don't judge yourself too harshly for the limit of your knowledge--be content with the knowlege of how productive you are with that knowlege. Be delighted that, despite your experience, and productivity, you have learned (and will continue to learn) something new!
P.S., After having reviewing perlfunc, I have found that I use only about 35 functions on a regular basis ;)
-- Akoya
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