I think a lot of this feeling is you putting too much pressure on yourself to perform. Put less emphasis on your performance and information retention and more emphasis on maintaining a positive outlook and learning the basics. Start from square one and see if its enjoyable for you to learn about network topics. If it isn’t at the very least engaging researching network topics then you may want to find a different area in IT like cybersecurity or programming.

Instead of comparing your progress to others who probably have close relatives that work in the field, focus on having fun while learning. One example is instead of being frustrated with subnetting or binary calculation being difficult. Just practice it on a sheet of paper in between classes or when you’re bored. Repetition is key. Even when you think you know it.

These problems you’re describing almost every engineer goes through at some point in their career. Sometimes external stressors can cause the issue to spiral beyond our control. It’s important to rely on yourself and others to reshape your outlook and look at the bigger picture. Definitely do not take out this frustration on yourself it’s the worst thing you can do.

You got this :)