It's good to learn how to really drive in a stick when one is learning how to drive. My dad made me and I'm really glad (I had a 74 super beetle). There are some people I know who still can't drive sticks and they're in their 30's and 40's. Yes, I laugh at them, but at least to their face.

We have a stick now, it's a 99 4Runner. Thankfully my town is flatish, and I work really close to home. DH drives most of the time, and we only have one car, so during the school year he drops me off at work and picks me up. When I can get a car for me I'm going to make it super easy to drive because I hate driving the stick even to the market.

There are cars that can make it up huge hills and there are some that can't. I got stuck in a small car on a hill in San Francisco, I had to turn around and go a different way. In our truck, we can barrel over just about anything, but I still won't go up that same hill ever again. And just like parallel parking, it takes time and practice, most people can't perfect the clutch and parallel parking for many, many years.