I could go on about how everybody is always a newbie at something, but I'll spare you, and admit that, despite years of computer experience, I still consider myself a newbie. Given the number of actual smart people I know, my opinion of my own prowess is not likely to change :-)
If you need a great Linux distro to use, try Arch Linux.
If you need a great language to use, try newLISP.
If you need a quick html template (like this one) try open source web design.