I first started learning dvorak almost 15 years ago. At that time I could type ~120 wpm on qwerty. Learning the dvorak layout was easy. After just a few hours practice I was able to type the full keyboard (maybe minus some of the symbols) at ~60 wpm. I didn't do anything else with it until a few years later.
Around 10 years ago I made a complete switch and I've been using it ever since. Today I am still not faster with dvorak than I was with qwerty when I switched. I was at 60-70 wpm for the first few weeks, and that was maddening. But after a few weeks I think I got into the 80s and that was more tolerable. Speed increases much beyond that are more about typing whole words or sequences of letters as a whole, and that tends to take longer to learn. Now I type around 100 wpm. I switched hoping to be able to type faster, so if that's the measure of success, then dvorak failed. I do think it's possible for a better keyboard layout to speed you up, but dvorak isn't that layout. It is pretty clear that my fingers travel less distance on a dvorak keyboard than they did on qwerty. Because of this, typing on dvorak has an overall "calmer" feel to it than qwerty. I've heard some say that it helps their RSI problems. I've never really suffered from RSI, so I can't personally comment there.
In summary, I don't mind that I changed, and if I could do it over, I still might do it again--but not for the same reasons.
Around 10 years ago I made a complete switch and I've been using it ever since. Today I am still not faster with dvorak than I was with qwerty when I switched. I was at 60-70 wpm for the first few weeks, and that was maddening. But after a few weeks I think I got into the 80s and that was more tolerable. Speed increases much beyond that are more about typing whole words or sequences of letters as a whole, and that tends to take longer to learn. Now I type around 100 wpm. I switched hoping to be able to type faster, so if that's the measure of success, then dvorak failed. I do think it's possible for a better keyboard layout to speed you up, but dvorak isn't that layout. It is pretty clear that my fingers travel less distance on a dvorak keyboard than they did on qwerty. Because of this, typing on dvorak has an overall "calmer" feel to it than qwerty. I've heard some say that it helps their RSI problems. I've never really suffered from RSI, so I can't personally comment there.
In summary, I don't mind that I changed, and if I could do it over, I still might do it again--but not for the same reasons.