Cooking with Drupal
Jeff Eaton has put up an awesome website for anyone who is just starting to get their head wrapped around drupal: Cooking with Drupal.
I like the culinary metaphor. Modules are like spices. The more you use, the less value you get from each one. Too many modules, and too much functionality usually confuses visitors (as well as yourself, KISS* is a good rule in drupal).
As with cooking, the sequential order you tackle requirements in drupal projects is of the highest importance. Content, taxonomy, modules, and menus are all overlapping layers, and dependent on one another to work. Doing things in the wrong order can often lead to bad decisions. For example, building a taxonomy before you add your content will usually result in you wondering why you have 14 lnks to empty pages in your taxonomy menu.
As with cooking, mastering one technique in drupal almost always carries over and improves your other techniques -- like cooks, the best drupal developers are the ones that have used drupal in the widest possible context.
Anyways, well done Jeff. I'll be forwarding lots of beginners to your site!
Note:
*"KISS" is a golden rule in web development. It stands for "Keep It Simple, Stupid".