Hey @jjcali,
I just posted a tutorial on my steemit blog @powderskier for you.
An EOS.IO Developer's Notes - How To Publish A Contract to the EOS Public Testnet
I hope this helps you and keep up the programming! Be persistent, patient, and ask a lot of questions to become a solid EOS developer. You are one of the early people in the new distributed, digital movement so your time to shine will come. :)