Welcome Trapper from the otherside of the pond in the UK.
I've only been building for about 60 years, but been through both my fathers and my brothers early deaths from Cancer. So modelmaking has helped me through no end. Choosing Banking as my career I've been made redundant 4 times and changed occupations just as many times due to being out of work firstly at 42 and to be told that I'm too old to be recruited for most jobs!
So pnuematic engineering, insurance sales, warehouse fork lift/van driver, and university campus postman have had to pay the bills. But modelmaking has always come out on top as my choice of hobby no matter what situation and frame of mind I've been in.
So do as they ask here by not being shy to ask, even I don't know everything far from it! But don't ask me about airbrushes as I can't make them out, much too complicated! I still use rattle spray cans, and small tins of paint and brushes!
But welcome and enjoy the hobby, and don't be afraid to tell your mates and anybody that asks that you build models, it's amazing who does. I only went into my local hardware shop, supermarket and coffee shop recently, and they asked what I'm doing in retirement, and I told them and guess what so do they, build planes and have model railways layouts, surprise, suprise!
But my wife's annoyed because because we talk about our hobby while she's waiting to shop!