Priorities.

I personally dont like any description of a camera as entry level, intermediate, or professional. It is an instinctive reaction to what what always sounds like marketing hyperbole to me. I don't  judge anyone by their progress  along some nebulous upgrade path. I judge on their results. I have printed extremely large panoramic prints from a 12 megapixel Olympus Pen. If I stitch 6 images I probably have a 50 megapixel image anyway. A camera is just a tool. If you use it carefully it can almost always produce really good results. I have seen absolutely wonderful black and white pictures reproduced in Lenswork magazine my friend John shared with me of ice formations taken with an Iphone. The marketing hyperbole would have you believe that a massive DSLR is the perfect tool no matter what the task. What would you choose if you do a lot of bushwalking like me good set of boots or a ball and chain? For me personally a good pair of walking boots  is a much better choice than a ball and chain for bush walking. I dont want to drag any extra weight. I also would prefer to have a backpack as light as possible than carry something the weight of a sack of rocks. I bought an Olympus OMD to carry in my rucksack for that very reason. It has its limitations but it also has it's strengths. It's resistance to the salty damp winds coastal environments is a huge strength.
Knowledge and practice make better images than knowledge of gear. Having something to say with your pictures is about a hundred times more important than knowledge of gear, and even of knowledge and practice. A 45 dollar tripod can make more difference to the image you create than a thousand dollar upgrade. So can the use of the inbuilt timer. But having a reason to go and take your photographs is the single most important thing you need to carry with you when you venture out each day. Without that reason you will be forever stuck trying to make technically perfect images of what? Something you saw someone else do? Why? Knowledge and practice are far more inportant than knowledge of gear, but having a motivation a real motivation is the most important thing to take with you every day.