Don't give up. Just because your map doesn't appear in 3.5 doesn't mean you should give up mapping. Folks like D-man and Rav have really set the bar high. Don't let it discourage you though... those folks are on their 6th or 7th map (or more.) They've had lots of practice. Its unreasonable to expect your 1st (or even 4th map necessarily) to compare favorably against 3-year veterans.
So keep the faith, learn the tools, and keep on kickin'
(The 3.5 maplist is not yet set in stone so I have nothing new to report on that front.)