I started learning Linux by installing it on my personal computer. This was many years ago, when things -didn't- "just work" out of the box. Hardware of many sorts, in particular, was a nightmare.

Here is what I would recommend today:

Install Linux on a computer.

Wipe Windows off this computer or you will find yourself returning to it far too often.

Do all your 'real' computer work from Linux / Unix.

Run it from the command line as much as you possibly can (admins, I am told, live there). You can do an amazing lot without ever picking up a mouse IF you know what you are doing. Learn to use vi, bash, pine / mutt SSH, Rsync, iptables and so on. Actually, if you learn to use those well, you will be hooked for life.

Search for books and tutorials (paper or electronic) about scripting and begin to create useful scripts. Google is your friend.

Search for a university class nearby dealing with Unix. That's where I got my feet wet with shell scripting.

The moment you learn enough to feel just a little confident in your skills, start teaching others. Nothing speeds along the learning process for the teacher like teaching others. Nothing. No matter how many mistakes you made as you learned, your student will find ways to make new ones that you will need to solve ... and teach.

Above all else, have fun. Your new skills will move you into the top few percent of computer users worldwide ... most of whom would be doomed if presented with a CLI and a user prompt.