Kenyatta Berry was a keynote speaker at the Northwest Genealogy Conference I attended in August in Arlington, WA. One thing she told about was how exciting it was to work on the Genealogy Roadshow with Josh Taylor and Mary Tedesco. (This is a PBS series; call your PBS station and lobby to ensure that it carries this season of Genealogy Roadshow.) Anyway. The magazine Your Genealogy Today (Sep-Oct 2017 issue) carried an interview with Mary Tedesco. A question the interviewer, Leslie Michele Derrough, asked was “what are the first 5 important steps to take to get started?” Mary explained:
(1) Stay at home. See what you already have hidden in boxes in your home; interview all living relatives, especially the older ones. (I found it interesting that she did not say “start” at home.)
(2) Stay organized. OHMYGOSH. Thomas MacEntee is the honcho of the Genealogy Do-Over which stresses the importance of getting and staying organized. Google this and start????
(3) Online research. (Mary did add microfilmed records, but we know by now that the Family History Library does not loan films any longer; but getting seasick looking at films at that Library is still an option 
) Don’t re-invent the wheel; see what others have found before you! What you find may be wrong or right but it’s a place to start.
(4) Onsite research. Most genealogists after the first few months or years realize that not everything they need is online and that they must travel to Virginia or Massachusetts for onsite research. OHDARN. 
(5) Take a DNA test. “DNA is a powerful tool when paired with traditional research.” (I’ve read several places that a super beginning point for DNA testing is Ancestry.)