Hi Andy, the best way to be good at
C++ (or any other language) is to think about the project which would teach you a lot from the very beginning. Say, set an ambitious goal of writing one code per day. Start with mathematics, e.g. solving ax^2+bx+c=0 equation. Scan the books and Google for similar solutions. Compare what you wrote with other solutions. If you find some language structures that you don't know, study it, google it, try to include in your code and see the output. Modify, add new elements. Go through pain and hell of debugging.
After one week of doing so, keeping your pace, you will see how much you know. Don't jump in
C++ topics too quickly. Set a timeframe for your progress. And stay motivated.
My tip would be: if you don't like
C++, it terrifies you, make a hard effort of facing your fears. You will see after a while you start growing in
C++ knowledge and self-confidence, and your fears start dying. Eventually, you will become addicted to that growth.
I'm folloing the same way right now with
Python programming and share this experience at
http://quantatrisk.com - Who knows, maybe one day you can be one of the best paid experts in
C++?!!
Don't give up. Good luck!
-Pawel