The one thing I never did while learning the guitar was spend time doing covers or trying to work out someone else's solos. Success to me is getting to a level where your fingers can play directly what is in your head at the speed of thought. No working things out, just pick up the guitar and play constructive solos without jamming too much. I play what I want to hear, I burn it to cd and listen to it in my car, in the gym wherever. It's the icing on the cake if other guitarists appreciate my music too but at the end of the day if I'm happy with what I record then that's enough for me.