Mid 40s Army deuce and a half truck on my uncle's farm. Non-syncromesh manual tranny, had to double clutch and rpm match shifts. At least 2 cousins in the cab to laugh at you and jibe in case you ground the gears or missed a shift provided incentive to perfect your technique.
At 15 graduated to learning street driving in a 65 Mustang 289 3-speed.
Good thing I had the 5-speed in my Chevy truck when I met my wife. I'm not sure she would have gone out with me a second time if I drove an auto.