I use Colemak DH with a numpad and nav layer (there's a media layer, but it doesn't see regular use) and Callum-style mods for my layout. I code in python, rust, typescript, sql, latex (and other documentation formats).
34-keys is my sweet spot. My daily is typically a charybdis (home) or sweep (office), and I switch between a totem, zaphod, and 34-key planck periodically.
The key to my layout is callum mods on the left hand layers, with command modifiers underneath (i.e., zxcdv) and alt f and b above. W and Q positions are transparent.
The nav layer is on the right hand, with about what you'd expect (arrows on home row).
The numpad is also on the right hand, and I use the num row keys instead of the numpad, so I get all of my symbols there, too. Various brackets are combos on the num layer (in QMK; all layers in ZMK).
I also have combos for (semi-)colon, tab, capsword, and underscore. And the media layer.
Stop whining. They're trying to help give you training wheels. They're responding with their experience, and you're being hypercritical about semantics.
If you go to a medical expert complaining about pain, do you get offended when they tell you how to fix it? And for the natural response "they aren't doctors", well (a) they may be and (b) if you really want the level of help you'd expect from a medical professional, perhaps don't ask the internet.