And you're right it has a place. I'm not totally advocating switching if it works for you. But for newer users who want to really use code-CAD, out there are tools that are not held back by OpenSCAD's limitations (and which scale less painfully with complexity), and learning about them might help see simpler solutions or even bridge the gap to GUI CAD.

The most significant limitation I can see for a hobbyist maker is reaching the point where you can't make something yourself (or can't make it cost-effectively) and need to get it fabricated elsewhere. That is when you may very well find you would benefit from something OpenSCAD cannot (ever, I think) do: true, efficient STEP export.

As my 3D printed designs get more complex I am pushing closer and closer to the point where I will need a part cut conventionally out of steel or aluminium, or -- most likely sooner -- where I will need custom fasteners. One of the advantages of a workflow that will produce STEP is being able to work with someone who has those specialisations (and/or import work into the software tools they use). So at the earliest point I could, I made sure I was in that world. As a side bonus, it means being able to potentially use home CNC, or even just extract vector faces from generated models for use with a laser cutter or a Silhouette-type machine.

Out of completeness I should note that in that situation you're not totally out of options, as FreeCAD can interpret OpenSCAD in a bRep context with the exception of a few operations like minkowski() that get left as meshes. But it's a real limitation.