It was great to read about your experiences and the good advice you received. I agree with you that we should always seek advice from experienced people, no matter their age.
Your story about the lecturer, I can't believe he made the course intentionally difficult just to extort money from students. But I'm glad you stood your ground and didn't pay for your carryover. And the cheat code advice from the other lecturer is pure gold.
I'll definitely keep that in mind for my own exams.