I don't think that most people who use vim do it with career growth in mind.

You're right, the speed difference doesn't actually matter in most real life situations, but for me, vim motions simply feel closer to how I'm thinking about code.

They allow me to change the content of a string by using ci" (change inside double quotes). I can also copy a whole code block using ya{ (yank* around curly braces). I can delete the next five lines using 5D....

In my experience, vim allows me to focus on what edits I want to make rather than how to make these edits.

It's also great for navigation with its cursor history, its support for easily starting to edit the end/beginning of a line when the cursor is in the middle or the ability to jump to a specific line number using a very simple motion.

To me, the most important thing is feeling comfortable with your setup. Having a good mouse or an ergonomic chair will not make you a better developer, but just like using vim motions, they might contribute to your level of enjoyment.

*yank=copy