You might find Ed’s very own board The Barn House useful, right here on the Dope. 
Start small, work your way up.
My dad is like the ultimate handyman, built a deck on the house, later added a roof and screened in portion, then built a garage… god know what he’s up to now.
I think I inherited the slacker gene. I can nail/cut stuff, but it’s never perfect the way my dad does it. The boards are semi-level, the screens are ALMOST right. My results are good enough for me at the end of the project, but everytime I show my dad my latest “woodworking” project or whatever, I always feel like I half-assed it.
You’re not gonna be perfect the first few times, but just keep at it. I’m figuring by 40 I might be able to make a project I finished that looks like professional carpenter made it, but until then I’m happy getting by with what skills I have.
Just remember the super-important stuff. Re-enforce critical areas, avoid cutting into wires, avoid power lines, etc. Whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, eh? 
Here’s what I did: I wanted something and I couldn’t afford it. So I just started looking up everything about it. Then I went and bought the materials. Then I realized I needed another / different / better tool. Then I realized I was missing some materials. Then I realized I messed up too many materials and I had to go back and buy more. Then I realized that the blades that came with the tool were cheap & quickly worn out from all my mistakes.
Basically, I just went to Home Depot. A lot.
Now I’ve got it so that I make 2 trips. One for the materials, and one for that one goddamned part/tool/hardware I thought I had and can’t find.
You beat me to it. This was my first thought, too. 
P.S. Has it really been 5-1/2 years since Handy left us?
The broadest general advice I’ve heard is this:
Get some duct tape, and some WD-40.
If it’s not supposed to move, but it does, use the duct tape.
If it’s supposed to move, but it doesn’t, use the WD-40.
Well the stairs worked out well. Step is back and sturdier than ever.
I put the grate over the vent in a bathroom and then drilled it into the drywall. No problem with the first screw but I cannot for the life of me get the other screw into the way. Goes about an inch then just stops. I don’t think I’ve hit a dry wall stud?
It isn’t that you are not handy at all, you are.
Your skills are in your DNA waiting to be tapped.
Don’t compare yourself to your Dad in this, you will never match up. Compare yourself to you.
Mr. Ujest’s bestest friend ever is the son of a master woodworker. ( The dad had a regular-high stress job, and taught himself woodworking over the last 50 years.) The son has two phD’s and had decided he was retarded because he could never be as good as his dad in the woodworking department.
Truth be told, after watching him try to hammer a nail in at our house when we were building, I was reduced to laying on the floor in hysterical laughter which is still today one of the highlights of when our house was built.
Then he moved out of state. He felt the call of the wood and tools and slowly his basement was taken over by stuff. ( His poor wife. When his obsessions hit, they take a hit on the wallet.)
His skills now, after only ten years, is doing admirably.
Take it slow. Figure out the steps you need to do from A through Z to get the job done and remember with the web, you can google anything for help, but remember, every home project usually involved (x) trips to the hardware store.
Oh, and don’t piss off your SO ( if you have one) keep your tools orderly and put them the fark away after each and every use. Gives the stink eye to Mr. Ujest …
A torque wrench doesn’t actually increase the amount of torque you’re applying; it just tells you how much you are applying. Are you sure you’re not thinking of a breaker bar?
I’m a little ambivalent about vise grips, myself. They do, in fact, grip things really tightly, but when you’re using them on a fastener you risk damaging it to where you can no longer use the correct tool on it.
21 posts it took to get to this?
You people are really falling down on the job.
Yes, probably you did. Drill a pilot hole for the screw, using a drill bit about the diameter of the screw, less the threads.
If the screw’s stopping completely, it’s possible he hit a nail or screw or blocking plate of some kind actually. Most screws that come with those vents can go through wood fine, it just takes more pressure. I’d probably just get a shorter screw. Try one shorter than 1/2", that’s likely the depth of your drywall. If that doesn’t work, you can always cut the head off and glue it down so it just looks like you put a screw in that spot. 
The secret to being handy is to just do the job. Do some research so you have a clue as to what to do first of course, but after that jump in and get it done. Ten years ago I couldn’t do any household job that required a power tool. In fact, even drills made me a little nervous. Now I can properly use any power saw you put in front of me, hang molding, re-shingle a roof, tape and texture drywall, replace electrical outlets, lay tile, etc. It just took a little Tommy Silva worship and the guts to just jump in and do it. My husband started with a bit more knowledge than I and he’s to the point where he can competently do all but the most advanced electrical work. I make him do the heavy lifting but I get to use the sledge hammer.
Of course, the draw back to being handy is once you prove you can do something people expect you to do it. There are days I don’t want to lay floor tile or mud drywall but I’m still expected to do it.