Are all pointless quests really "pointless"?

Generally they have two purposes. The first is to get to know the rules and what works. I tend to be a typical guy and just jump into games. Rulebooks are for when I get stuck. So I am happy with this.

The second is about developing the PC from weakness to something with strength.

(There is a third - sometimes a simple quest suits my mood especially if I am just tired but want to do something fairly mindless.)

For me the solution is that the filler or side quests should always be optional and have no/ little impact on the main quest. Then it does not matter whether you do it or not or how many there are.

Just some thoughts.