I am currently taking a linux shell scripting class and also a intro to programming class using QBASIC. Will this interfere with how i learn each one? Are they similar in some ways? I already took a unix course based on the commands and it was easy, but now i have to create programs. Also, how long does it normally take until a newbie will be able to design successful programs? Thanks.
No. They are totally different subjects. The only similarity I can think of is that their source files are both text files, of different syntax of course.
QBasic is a programming language (however simple and primitive it is). Shell scripting is more suitable as "glues" to tie separate external programs together to perform some tasks.
That depends on your pace of learning and what kind of programs you will call as "successful". Because of the nature of shell scripting, usually you are not writing just the shell scripting code, but also external commands as well. How well you know the command line syntax and behaviour of each command you will use should also count towards your criteria for "successful", I think.