Hey there! As someone who's made that exact transition from ladder logic to structured text and function block diagrams, I can definitely share what I struggled with and what would have helped me learn faster.

First, the biggest skills gap I encountered was the shift from visual, relay-based thinking to text-based programming. With ladder logic, everything is graphical and intuitive - you can literally see the electrical flow. Structured text feels like learning a whole new programming language with syntax, variables, loops, and conditional statements. It's like going from drawing pictures to writing essays!

For function block diagrams, the challenge was different - it's still visual, but the mindset shift from sequential ladder rungs to data flow programming was tricky. Understanding how data moves between blocks instead of following a left-to-right power flow took some getting used to.

What would have helped me bridge the learning curve faster? Three things:

1. **Practical comparison tutorials** - Resources that show the same simple program written in ladder logic, structured text, AND function block diagrams side-by-side. The YouTube video "Ladder Logic vs Structured Text | An Easy Way to Learn" would have been perfect for this.

2. **Structured text syntax cheat sheets** - Quick reference guides for common operations like timers, counters, and math functions showing both ladder and structured text equivalents.

3. **Project-based learning** - Small, real-world projects that gradually increase complexity, forcing me to use all three languages together. The PLC Academy structured text tutorial is a great starting point for this approach.

Honestly, the hardest part was unlearning my ladder logic habits and embracing that there are multiple valid ways to solve the same problem. Once I got past that mental block, the learning accelerated!