After a couple of weeks many students will 'get it'. These students will 'appear' to know instinctively how to do each assignment. I can assure you that there are very few 'naturally' gifted students. Rather, students who excel, are typically working smartly behind the scene to continuously develop and fine-tune their skills.

So, if you want to experience the unique satisifaction that comes with programming, you'd be wise to follow some free advice,

1. Saturday at midnight. All the talent in the world won't do you much good if don't you meet your deadlines. For those that head to the chalet or the cottage on weekends where there is no internet (or even the slightest chance that it might be unavailable) assume your deadline is Friday.
2. You must be in class. This course prepares you for future mastery. Mastery requires respect for theory and detail. Detail that has to be taught and to be successful you have to be in class to learn it, first hand. Reading the page references from the text is helpful, but only to a very limited extent. This subject is highly nuanced and technically demanding.
3. Concept pyramid. Since every major concept is a foundation for the next, challenges multiply rapidly if you don't address your concerns immediately. When you make a decision to head home in the afternoon, knowing full well you didn't really understand the day's lesson, you're playing with fire.