As usual, I think it depends (stock answer from my consultant days). Some dojo offer you a community, some offer you a path. The best, I find, offer both and are very transparent about it (and what skills will realistically be imparted). Your ability to absorb what they are teaching and willingness to work at it tends to be huge factors as well.
Of course, this gets challenging when dysfunction creeps into any of those areas - as a natural tendency of dysfunction can be to seek to cast blame elsewhere rather than seek to improve what's in the mirror (this can be process, art, dojo, sensei, student, etc. - all levels and to any combination of degrees). In my profession, I'm about data driven results, sans ambiguity and minimal narrative. It's more difficult to apply this to an artistic pursuit, but assuming you are devoting the necessary time, thought and commitment to an activity - hopefully it becomes more apparent that to reach any goal, you need measurable targets along the way.
Hence, yes, it's a process that should be measurable by results.