From a standing start, someone looking to
use traditional methods only would have poorer skills until the learning has
been surmounted.

Well, this speaks well of my wife, who seems to comprehend the nav stuff
readily and far better than I did at first.
It varies from person to person. I don't think it's safe to start with learning
electronics first, since they may fail you first. By far, the charts and
compass are more reliable so a sailor should learn them first.
This is why various texts start with chart/compass based nav.

RB