I think that they should create a mini-semester course or the professors should be obliged to make room to teach students how to use these 'tools' (e.g, pico, VI).
I remember many students having issues with the tool instead of the program coding. Even I had problems with the tool which held me back for a little while, despite my understanding of the coding. One would spend hours trying to get the gist of the tool because many professors didn't show how to use it. I'm always thankful that I was not a CS major. I remember how I was taking perl instead of engineering design and experimentation (statistics). However, the engineering statistics became a piece of cake because getting the tool for coding in perl became a headache. The professor didn't care to show how to use it and the student who was supposed to assist me couldn't. I wanted to be able to program at home, at the comfort of my PC. LOL! I was always grateful that I chose applied math over the noisy CS.
Imported, give it time. Many students dropped out of CS because it was too fast pace for them. For when they were learning to use the tools, the professors had already gone past the beginner's level. But I'm sure that if these students had given it a litte more time, they would have caught up eventually. The perplexing thing about courses like this is that things look so foreign to the brain and just too fast. But once you get the gist of it, it is so easy to accomplish. I know of a student who switched from Computer Engineering to Computer Science, which kind of surprised me. They're very similar in nature. Try to get access to pico or any similar tool and practice every day. The sad part about programming is that it takes much of one's time overall. Switching to other kinds of engineering that do not involve much programming isn't a bad idea if programming is the difficult part for you.
However, if it doesn't get easier, then do consider taking GE courses and advance GE. You will be amazed how much you may not have explored. I realised my love for logic and philosophy after trying some GE courses. So, explore GE courses that are likely to be useful. You can uncover what you are best at and what will still earn you the money you want or need to survive [in this world].
P.S.: I miraculously learned pico. It was my alternative to VI. *Sigh!!*
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