Because I grew up in New York, I was never in a rush to get my driver's license. Why bother when it was cheaper and more environmentally friendly to just ride the subway? However, when I moved to England, suddenly that wasn't an option anymore, and I knew I had to take the plunge. Unfortunately, that meant learning on a manual car (and it took me three times to pass my test).
Admittedly, I did feel a huge sense of accomplishment in mastering what is truly a skill, but I also think it's kind of silly that more people here don't have automatic cars. They're much easier to drive and much more pleasurable to drive, too (at least in my opinion). It's possible to get automatic cars here, but manual transmissions are pretty ubiquitous.