A good way to get started is to download the free tutorials on the site. They are good starting points. They cover most of the basic stuff you need. Also, if you have the money, you can buy points, and view the more complex tutorials, all which are very good. But yea...the only way to get started is to just try stuff out on your own (I tought myself Maya for 6 months before I found this site, and the Help docs help out alot too), or search for some tutorials around the web. Good Luck, and welcome to Simply Maya!