When I started the learning process I did expect to have a hard time. I expected VHDL to be very different from software. I expected all kinds of problems related to the "clashing of paradigms". I have encountered those problems. But at the same time I've been fighting with complex config files, unhelpful warnings, horribly long debugging sessions... I feel like the tools could be better. They could have helped me instead of being in my way. I now know how to do all of it, but it took me a LOT of time to learn.

And yes, maybe my goals were too ambitious. Ethernet and PCIe have proven to be hard to master.