Well, there are ways of calling IE-only style sheets and there are such a thing as conditional comments that IE reads and no other browser bothers with.
I don’t think you will look like a dookie. I would just keep plugging away at it until you’ve figured it out. It can be very frustrating, but it’s ultimately rewarding in the end. This stuff can be seemingly impossible to learn at times. I’ve hit the wall on many occasions, and wanted to quit totally, but I’ve always come back and hacked away at it.
Just remember to have fun while you’re doing it. Also, you can check out many resource sites, like AListApart and https://communitymx.com/ which have a lot of good articles and information available to help us through these frustrating situations.