Realize you won't master data structures until you are working on a real-world problem and discover that a hash is the solution to your performance woes.

Learn when and how to use different data structures and their algorithms in your own code. This is harder as a student, as the problem assignments you'll work through just won't impart this knowledge. That's fine.

The key to a solid foundation in data structures and algorithms is not an exhaustive survey of every conceivable data structure and its subforms, with memorization of each's Big-O value and amortized cost.

If you find a good solution and become attached to it, the solution may become your next problem.

Being offended is part of being in the real world.

The problem with real estate is that it's local. You have to understand the local market.