Whats the average time taken to learn Perl to a comfortable level?

The official answer: "It depends."

I teach dog training on a regular basis along side SWMBO (my wife) and one of the "lectures" I give a class of students goes something like this:
"
Don't get upset at your dog if they don't learn the skills we are teaching you as quick as another dog does. That does not mean you are doing something wrong and it does not mean your dog is stupid. Every human and canine learns at a different rate. Some are quick studies and others need more time. If you try to hurry the process all you are going to succeed at doing is frustrating yourself and make learning an unhappy experience for your dog.
"

That bit is not to be confused with the old saw about teaching a pig to sing (wastes your time and annoys the pig).

Take your time with learning Perl and enjoy the process. As time progresses you'll find yourself getting more and more proficient at it. The danger being is there is a trap where by you approach every problem the same way. Be prepared to occasionally step out of your comfort zone. That's where real learning starts.

Seems to me there are a lot of Monks out there concerned about the learning process...