[posted on youtube]
I totally disagree. Now all the points Dave brings to the table are absolutely valid, but they are not for beginners. Beginners should get out their bread board and build something they like. Start simple, start with a kit, start with a blinking light, whatever you feel you're up to. You will get bored and look for more advanced projects soon enough, but its crucial that you stay motivated. If you want to do all the things that Dave mentions you be overwhelmed and confused with info overload.
So ask yourself what you like and build something that relates to that. Start simple, start small. Don't expect you will be able to build a microcontroller driven stereo hifi 200 Watt audio amp on your first day. Do small tests of concepts and compose those into a complete working system. Look at other schematics and try to understand them completely and use/test parts of them. But most important, do what you love. If you don't like laying out PCBs, dont do it, there are services that provide this, no harm. If you don't like building housings, don't do it. Just double-tape it to the table. When you advance in your knowledge and experience you will find new avenues of interest opening. So do what feels good and you think you can manage and build from there.
[2c]