Ah ha! So you've finally given in.
Only thing I would say is a lot of us here have found BF3 tough going at first so you've gotta break the pain barrier before you start to properly have fun and, as Mr G says above, not just respawn all the time.
Essentially, it's gonna take a bit of grinding first. If you can handle that, then welcome to a real man's game.
Shame about Skyrim - I am liking it a lot and I'm not alone. I've actually not played BF3 since I got it so will continue to be pwnd until I re-immerse myself back into the game and get used to it once more.
Yeah, co-op in Skyrim consists of having companion NPCs that take the brunt of the attacks against you and lug your loot back home for you. So, better than reality even!