I share a story for you. I only half participated but I watched.(I am one of those people who didn’t touch teh stuff until college)
The prof rocked. Two guys in my class do programming part time and are getting degrees for kicks. (ie they make more than the TA that was grading thier stuff) The TA was hard headed and illogical in just this way. Since it was an engineering class and not a CS class there was no way to test out. It is required for the degree. That class, not any other. So the two guys who know this shit inside and out are stuck. There. With people like me. (Programming was not, is not, and will never be my strong suit. I can’t spell in English and you want me to learn what form of syntax? Exactly like that?)
The TA hated them. He hated me for different reasons. (He was a bad TA.) He reveled in pulling that same shit (“We haven’t learned xyz yet, please don’t get ahead of yourself”) It sucked. By the end of the year it got pretty funny. Test success messages for programs were statements like “The TA is an asshole” Designs for electrocuting him through his keyboard were presented. We began challenging every assignment he graded.
Basically, yea, this course could suck a lot. Don’t stress about it. Pick up a cute lost chick and teach her. Learn to swear in Swahili and use your comments. Learn what you can after the book so you can program how people will pay you to program. I wouldn’t suggest a personal vendetta against your prof, but if it makes you happy…