CLI -vs- GUI

Upon becoming a Database Engineer, I have encountered a number of things that are not thoroughly discussed in the classes that Microsoft provides for a price. These classes generally use the GUI to perform tasks such as backup, restore, shrinking, etc., instead of using the command-line. I assume that this is due to the time that it could take to get the commands typed vs the time it takes to go clickety clickety done.
Unfortunately, when connected to the SQL server with the GUI, one sometimes cannot perform certain tasks that require the database to be in a state with no connections. The GUI itself creates multiple connections, so this can be really bewildering for the noob DBA.
It is necessary to learn how to perform all tasks from the query analyzer first, and then with the knowledge of how the whole thing works, working from the GUI becomes almost laughable.