As an engineer with a M.Sc or PhD. in Electrical Engineering you are eligible to answer your own question.
Please re-read my definition of Appliance Operator (reading is an art, I read elsewhere).
For your convenience I copy it right here
Ad hoc definition: An appliance operator is a licensed ham, that uses only commercial available equipment and is not interested in electronics and other techniques at all, even the very first start of home brewing: assembling a kit with predrilled painted cabinet and printed circuit boards with a heathkit alike manual, failure virtual impossible, does not interest him at all.
It is important that youngsters start with building their own equipment because it develops their skills, and stimulate them to want to know "everything" in the field. They will enroll in engineering courses, and the USA will not loose (or lose?) any creative minds which will boost economy and independence as nation in the far future.
The development right now is in the direction of services and consuming, and will end in the role interchange of China and the USA in the coming century.
Just my 2 cents
Bob
(born 1929, primary school 1935-1941, licensed 1946 as what is now known to be an Extra, with Morse code tested (actually able to copy 20 wpm at that time, with NO courses NO tape recorders and NO computers only a BCL box without BFO) 73