Thank you all for your responses. I have read each post throughly. I don't really know what I had expected, but this is pretty close. Unfortunately my only resource is the net as my school library refrains from having any computer oriented books. I just hope that at some point I can print off some of that TCP/IP guide. Please realize that being in highschool with absolutly not spare time between homework and projects I have to do at home, I don't have a lot of time to read. Hopefully my schedule for my senior year will be more flexible. I am hoping to order the TCP/IP guide off the net at some point to read it on my spare time.

Ah, if I only had a nickel for every time my wife has threatened to toss my computers out into the street....

Don’t be discouraged if there is so much to learn. That is the cool part of it. That is what makes you elite.   Start studying the books recommended. If you get stumped, ask questions on here.  Get those free programs I mentioned and scan your own box or network.  Become a master of Nmap and Nessus and Metasploit to get your feet wet.  Try hacking Dons pay pal account, JUST KIDDING!!!!  I better stop before I get kicked off this board. One thing I can totally promise you is if you get the “bug” you will have a hobby or profession that that keeps you intrigued for the rest of your life!  Can you put a value on that and how many old people at the end of the day have something like that? Most are looking to get to their next pottery class, LOL!  In time you will see that is the ultimate reward from all of this. A lifetime journey.  If you have the right make up, you will keep on no matter what, if not you will stop and go on to something else that catches your eye with its quick glitter.

This forum is awesome and I feel a little cheated that I didn’t have it when I was starting out years ago. Most hackers had to go through hell to get accepted and got less knowledge than what is presented here! Ok, I better stop before I go into how I used to walk through 2 feet of snow to school every day, Ha Ha!

Well said. This was an ok post except for that maybe yes , maybe no pc crap at the beginning.  If you cant program then you are one of the many script kiddies out there.  I didnt make that rule. It is the opinion of every real hacker out there. Wikipedia says it best "It is generally assumed that script kiddies are kids who lack the ability to write sophisticated hacking programs on their own". 

If you cant program and you spend most of your time on windows, then call yourself anything but dont call yourself a hacker.  Hackers like to change things  to do what they want.  You can do that if you program and you can do that if you use linux.