On my first try on web development (way back 2001) I was using dreamweaver 4 and frontpage 97. I didnt actually learn HTML. why? because I was actually drawing it! not writing the codes/tags. Furthermore, you must be familiar with those GUI software and set it not to clutter your code. It adds extra tags and messes up your code.
When I tried notepad, I learned a lot. Now I can design a very complex layout, then slice it up by just using notepad++ (notepad with syntax highlighting see http://notepad-plus.sourceforge.net/).

It is an advantage. One example is, when you try to apply for a job and they got a hands-on test. Let them see how you code XHTML using pure notepad.