I'm still EQ5 user simply because I just don't use it enough to warrant the upgrade but I still love the program. I have too many "irons in the fire" to just quilt, love machine embroidery and making my own clothes too! Before EQ took down all the EQ5 lessons off the website, I did one of them called Skylights and learned so much about the program because it took you through each process step by step. One thing that has amazed me since learning how to use the program, is how I look at others quilts. You learn how to break down a quilt into each block, is it four patch or nine patch and soon on. I think that has helped me more than anything to understand how a block is constructed, and how it works with the rest of the quilt.
I think sticking with it, taking one lesson at a time and not trying to make a complicated block before going through the lessons helped me not get frustrated and give up.