It's the simple things really. I've swapped back to Linux as my primary about a year ago, and still I have issues I don't have with Windows.
6 months now, particularly on Linux Mint (Bazzite to its credit hasn't had this issue much) I just can't fit connect to the internet. Linux is the only thing with this issue. By some arcane lucky magic, it somehow fixes itself when I'm fiddling around trying to fix it myself.
Only for the problem to come back next time I boot up my PC on Mint.
I have it connected to a TP link switch, just like other devices. None have the issue, not even a console (Nintendo Switch). Months, fucking months of going through forum posts, articles, social media, and trying out dozens upon dozens of "solutions", both in gui and the terminal - and the problem persists.
Now, I don't think I'm tech savvy exactly, but I'm not tech illiterate either. I understand some simple lines of code, some very basics of networking, etc. I'm patient enough to deal with issues like these for over half a year.
But how the hell is Linux even going to dream of being anywhere near mainstream when one of the most recommended "beginner" distros can't even run a year long without something as simple as the damned internet working???
And it's not just the internet. It's little things that just pop up one day and now you have to solve a puzzle to figure it out. Oh, suddenly you have to print something? Oh, you decided to get a light up keyboard that was on sale? Try to use Steam Link? Get ready to roll the dice on whether it'll take you a weekend to do / use it.
Microsoft is shit. Windows, is shit. Windows 11 is a privacy goddamn nightmare.
But in the end of the day, it just fucking works, those damn bastards ensure that. And even when something doesn't work, it seems, for some unknown reason, most of the online solutions do fix the issue.
Now imagine someone who's less likely to open up a terminal using Linux. They won't. They'll sacrifice their privacy because they might have full time jobs in something not remotely tech related and just wanted to watch some YouTube and don't want to spend the little free time they have fixing their own computer.
What's hilarious is just as I'm finishing this rant, the internet on Mint just magically decided to work again with no issues.
Maybe next time then I'll try yelling at the Linux fairies in my PC to see if they'll do their magic. At this point it's about a valid solution as any other.
You described a problem you have with an OS you use, which I fix every day at work. No Linux, just Windows. It is the most normal thing, that drivers might not work or the Hardware is faulty. We often have to change something, try different things and you don't need Linux to tinker around, the Windows environment offers enough opportunity to do so. And your problem sounds like a driver problem or maybe faulty hardware. It has nothing to do with Linux.
You definitely don't work in IT, otherwise you wouldn't mentioned printing. Printers are evil beings itself and these fuckers don't care wich OS you use, they just don't want to work properly. Hardware supports depends on the kernel. That's normal, Windows 7 also doesn't support newest hardware. There is still nothing specific Linux. Regarding UI: KDE Neon is great, try it.
Would this be true, I probably would need to change my profession.
Because of your ethernet problem? I understand that you are mad for the problems you have now, but I wouldn't use your experience with the ethernet NIC as a basis for the question how good all Linux distributions are usuable for everyday work.
Look, drivers get updated or introduced in newer Linux kernels. You could decide which distribution you want to use depending on the kernel. amdgpu got fucked up since a specific release and my RX580 won't work if it loads, so I am still using an older kernel. In Windows the drivers crashes often sadly. You need to look how well a specific hardware works and then decide which kernel you should use. We always do this on work with Windows and it is really needed, because manufactures sometimes don't really care about there drivers and compatibility with newer Windows 10 versions or Windows 11.
This is probably also the reason why you got downvoted so much, because you describe a generic, OS independent problem and then you blame Linux kernel for it and all Linux distributions, while you are using a specific distribution named Linux Mint. If you replace Linux with Window in your rant, it would be the same way wrong. But I hope that your problem gets fixed. You are free to describe your problem in specific communities, they probably might find a solution with you together.