Welcome scoffingcoyote!
There are people with all typs of backgrounds around here. Some with years of experience and amazing work before they even start, some with zero knowledge who are just learning how to draw. And they all advance at different rates depending on their schedlues, bandwiths and personal lives.
What is really important is to have a clear goal for yourself, this is your art journey, and as fun as it is to have the journey with others, you should only compare your progress against yourself and for your unique situation.
Trying to set unrealistic expectations or comparing yourself to others with a different life will only frustrate and become destructive in the long run. You might want to take a look at this recent video:
It's also worth mentioning progress is usually slow and incremental, you will probably not see much change from piece to piece, at times you might even feel like there's a downgrade (depending on your mood and feedback), but with consistency, aiming to continuously improve, a clear goal, and more importantly, having fun, you are sure to see progress towards your art goal.
