I've joined another writing class and I've had precisely the same reaction that I had in the previous one, I totally flip out at the idea of receiving feedback on my work but once it's actually happening I actually find it really enjoyable.
A difference I find is that I have a little more writing experience under my belt now and I can enter a workshop environment with a bit more confidence, having gone through the same process a lot with my own work. I also find that my own understanding of my work is expanded and I'm able to apply greater abstractions such as "theme" and "characterization". Through constant writing the real meaning of these words becomes apparent and it's possible to make decisions on these levels, of course it doesn't necessarily make my work good but it does make discussing it a little easier.
And I do feel that that's the true benefit of experience, I notice it too in programming. The base mechanics have a hard limit on them, it takes you a certain amount of time to identify a problem, apply a solution and then test that solution. That cycle, once you are comfortable with it is very hard to speed up. However, the classification of specific problems and solutions, the ability to wrap them in a higher level language makes it infinitely easier to discuss and combine.
As it is in programming it is too in writing. At the end of the day whether you are writing a book or a computer program you will need to apply some hard graft over a long period of time, experience simply allows you to know simply that what you are doing will not need to be redone and that it will form a part of a cohesive piece.
Corollary, in life our ability to expend effort or ability does not increase but our ability to apply it in intelligent ways for greater gain develops.
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