When I see a new angler I try to tell them to keep things simple, regardless that I already know they aren't going to listen to me
and do their own thing. The biggest problem I see is beginner anglers trying to absorb too much to quickly and wind up not understanding the basics and generally getting confused. Its not very refreshing to get an e-mail or PM stating, after the fact, that perhaps my initial advise should have been followed and it might have been better listened to in the beginning.
With that said, unless someone directly takes you under their wing (I was fortunate for that - though I'm still learning tons of stuff from others and on my own), new anglers really need to find a couple QUALITY local shops to build a rapport with. New anglers need both realistic advice and a guiding hand. Once you start achieving successes then you can branch out and expand your horizons a bit.