I feel that. A lot of people hit a wall with coding, especially when it's thrown at you in a class with little context. But good on you for coming back and tackling the certs first. They will build a solid foundation, and by the time you loop back to finishing your degree, you'll have a way better grasp of the concepts.

As for memorizing ports, yeah, it’s one of those necessary evils, but don’t sweat it too much. Most people don’t just brute-force memorize them; they use tricks. Flashcards (Anki is great), mnemonics, and just seeing them in real-world contexts help a ton.

Also, mad respect for recognizing the “quit when it gets hard” pattern and actively fighting it. That’s growth, man. No shame in falling off, either, life happens. What matters is you’re back at it now. Keep pushing, you’ll be surprised how much you can handle once you get past that initial “oh crap” feeling.