Im a complete n00b when it comes to comps. I may know more than the average person(old people, jocks, people that socialize alot, people that have a life ) but compared to my friends online i know next to nothing(and by friends i mean anyone online i may talk to without yelling at them ).

I am really interested in computer security and programming. I do alot of reading on these two things even though i dont know crap about them. Out of all the tutorials and beginners advice no one really ever mentions getting comfortable with the hardware aspects of computers before you actually begin trying to learn other things such as the in's and outs of OS's or security.

What do you all think? Im a huge noob but it seems to me that you should know whats in that box sitting next to you and making all those sounds. You should know how all of it works together, why it is there. Am I right about this? Shouldnt this be the first area to explore before trying to learn about DoS attacks or all the security flaws your version of Windows has?

I can be a real un-organized person when it comes to some things. On the other hand i can be totallly anal about other things. Computers to me are something you do not want to be un-organized with. Thats why i feel, as a n00b, that i should start building a foundation first. I dont want to take bits and peices here and there and put all this together like a puzzle.

So then, is it wise to pick hardware as a foundation? It seems so. To learn what is considered A+ certification before moving on to everything else. I want to know what you all think about this, especially you guru's out there who do this for a living.

Learning these things seem attractive to me but actually going to work to do them seems frightening!! I cant stand the thought of having to cut my hair short and wear a suit everyday. I hope im not offending anyone by saying that, just a thought i had.