Problems setting path and which directory to put all downloaded stuff in

I'm having problems setting the path for a jar file in eclipse. Also, I'm not sure where to put all the downloaded stuff so that I can code seamlessly w/out having to interrupt myself to change the directory.

Which directory the JARs go in doesn't matter. You will usually have to add the JAR to the Java Build Path (right-click the project, choose Properties, thin under Java Build Path click the Libraries tab and then click Add JARs).

By the way, you might want to look into Maven and the m2e plugin for Eclipse. You'll never have this issue again.