Congrats to OP on finally fixing the car
I'm gonna chime in and say, everything and any skill can be learned, but pros have the time and the experience and the proper tools to do it faster and better and sometimes safer. And if you mess up, it'll be cheaper to use the pros than DIY
The best thing is to make friends with a neighbour who has tools and has time to show you what you're doing once. It's much more reassuring to see a friend do it, or at least if something goes wrong, he can drink a beer with you and together you can commiserate and scratch your balls and your head to consider the next move
YouTube gives newbs too much confidence in thinking they can do anything easily - remember most of those videos are edited like crazy
Finally, remember breaking clips and shit are part of the package... half of my engine bay has busted clips. Zip ties are your friend. I have almost cracked my windshield too,
@stinkynuts so I laughed when I saw your list. Rusted bolts are part of life, lots of banging and torching and swearing are allowed.
I'd say keep at it, it is fun and satisfying when shit finally gets done. And then spend the $$ you saved at the mechanic on your fav incall