Tried and failed several times to get into micros with the Microchip PICs programming in assembly and using the PICstart+ programmer. After hitting the half page memory problem I gave up for about 4 years until I went to a local Dorkbot and met the Arduino.
For me it was removing all the barriers of an insanely steep learning curve of new programming language and micro complexity into a friendly package with clear working examples. I know that at the bottom of it all the Arduino is a boot loader and a bunch of libraries but it has allowed me to get a few projects up and running and I now have the confidence and experience to continue learning about micros.
I do a bit of freelance electric repair on one-off pieces of equipment and the occasional prototype and the Arduino has enabled me to take on more work (albeit a small scale). Within weeks of loading the Blink sketch I was able to remove a defective and obsolete PLC in a interactive model display (switches / lightbulbs and motors) and replace it with an Arduino and charge them enough to pay a months mortgage, bills and buy a new set of tyres for my motorbike 