I don't have an issue with learning, but you have to have the right tools.
I'm actually starting to believe it's something to do with cheap components. By putting the switches on a different part of the breadboard I've managed to get 3 of them to work, still working on a bodge circuit to get the 4th one working. 4 hrs later, on something that's supposed to take 45mins. Because of crappy components. That's not a great way to learn.