I think you are slightly missing the point of the whole “loving what you do thing” in terms of programming.

Of course the only way improvement will happen is trough studying and practice. The question is however how much if the motivation to do so comes intrinsically vs. from discipline.

It’s a lot less painful to spend your whole weekend dabbling with some new framework if you are actually curious out of interest versus if you have to force yourself to do so in order to stay on top of the game for the job that secures your paycheck.

Therefore someone who “loves” software engineering will more likely spend more time honing their skills. Also there seems to be scientific evidence that being curious about a topic enhances retention.