Re: Where to start?
I think a lot of folks started with simple projects taken from magazines. When I was young, I read "Popular Electronics" and "Radio and TV News". Unfortunately, those magazines are gone now. However, there are others that you can read that have simple projects to build.
Find a copy of "Nuts and Volts" magazine, or "Elektor". If there's a used bookstore nearby, look for a copy of any "ARRL Handbook" - there has been a new version released every year for over 50 years, and any of them have easy to understand theory as well as projects.
If you can find a local chapter of a Ham Radio club, go to their meetings. You'll find friends who share your interests, and who will be happy to include you in their projects. You may even have a club in your school, or at a nearby college. Many communities have computer clubs, and they often have people who are quite proficient in programming and design.
Look around your community for electronic repair shops, and take a job with one of them. Even if it's just sweeping floors, you'll be able to watch, ask questions, and learn.
Ask your questions on forums like this. Most of the replies will be helpful, and hopefully some of the old timers will help you get past the BS answers sometimes posted.