[wrs]

It's not a dichotomy — you learned a lot in your situation, but you might have learned as much or more from a different situation. It's normal to assume your own life experience is normal.

It's good for learning to be put into a situation where you have to perform outside your comfort zone "on your own", but in the context of a support system that will back you up if you fail. It's called "emotional safety" and it's an important factor in good teams.