If you ever wanted a nigh accurate sense of the path of gender transition to have a better understanding, I have a metaphor for that very thing.
Think of the path of transition like a tree. The tree starts at a single point, and the further up the tree you are, the more it branches off into separate paths.
Think of social transition as the trunk of the tree. That's where most journeys begin. Now, look up at the branches. Branch 1 is just HRT. Branch 2 is like branch 1 but includes gender affirming surgeries.
What I'm trying to say to you is that transitional paths in this sort of thing are not linear. Every path is different, and it's all based on the individual.
If you want, you can keep this tree metaphor in mind when trying to explain the various paths to others who are wanting to be taught.