That said, I can see how this could be useful to someone who is already well versed in programming and computer science, and has other types of project experience—they have a solid foundation to build and reflect on.
Many people learn from specifics and generalise later.
Do you think there's anything wrong with that?
Client problems are typically very different from exercises in compiler or rendering architecture, or whatever, unless you happen to be striving for those exact niches, which just might be a pipe dream unless you’re spectacularly talented in abstract problem solving in low-level languages on multiple hardware platforms and capable of furthering those technical niches in some way that someone benefits from enough to keep employing you.