[mrlemke]

To add to this, it's designed to work in conjunction with small programs. You don't write everything using bash (or whatever shell) built-ins. It will feel like a crappier Perl. If there is some part of your script where you're struggling to use an existing tool (f.g. built-ins, system utils), write your own small program to handle that part of the stream and add it in to your pipe. Since shell is a REPL, you get instant feedback and you'll know if it's working properly.

It's also important to learn your system's environment too. This is your "standard library", and it's why POSIX compatibility is important. You will feel shell is limited if you don't learn how to use the system utilities with shell (or if your target system has common utilities missing).

As an example of flexibility, you can use shell and system utilities in combination with CGI and a basic web server to send and receive text messages on an Android phone with termux. Similar to a KDE Connect or Apple's iMessage.