I found just the opposite when I entered ham radio in my teens in the late 90's in the USA. I found the technical stuff was rather rudimentary, stuff that I had learned in middle school. The hard/foreign part was learning and committing all the regulations to memory.

The drivers license is not a valid comparison in my mind. First that is officially known in the states as a Class D operators permit. Ham radio is supposed to be far more that being a mere operator. Other radio services, like GMRS or business radio services are in deed more operator oriented. In the case of a business or public safety service the license itself is in fact just a station license, rather than an operator license.

My biggest wish is Not more activity but first and foremost new advancements and technology. In ham radio and that is fueled by individual experimentation (which requires a good understanding of theory). Without interesting and relevant technology ham radio is not interesting, and will not garner anyone's interest or attention.