Hey Rocky,
When I started out a few years ago, I too was very frustrated. I feel it's like learning to ride a bike - nothing seems to go right at first, then bang, one day something just clicks and you find you can actually get the fly out there, sometimes even more or less where you want it.
I try to practice on the lawn. If you're fishing, it's tough to concentrate on learning to cast. But with enough lawn work, when you do get on the water, you don't have to think about the casting, you can just do it, because it's become muscle memory, like riding a bike. Then you can pay attention to fishing.
Don't get discouraged. It really is worth it. And you never stop learning how to cast better; that's a lot of the fun. Just practice and practice and practice until it feels good.
Try overlining the rod by one line weight (9-weight line for 8-weight rod); this helps you feel the line in the air better.
Hope this helps. Good luck!
bb