Looking at other people’s schematics and messing around with making changes to them is a great way to pick up new tricks, but I recomend you also lean some of the basics. Experimentation is the best way to learn and internalize, so make sure do do plenty of that. I highly recomend you pick up a decent solderless breadboard, assortment of parts, an adjustable lab power suppy, multimeter, and osciloscope. For assembling projects in a more permenent way, I would recomend a perfboard, some thin insulated wire, solder and flux, and a good soldering iron.