My advice is to keep things SIMPLE to start with, no matter what everybody else is using. We have to crawl before we can walk!
I dont know where you are fishing, but again keep it simple to start with,try some where easy and well stocked where you can use simple rigs and Ready made boilies, hopefully to catch a few fish and get to grips with your style of fishing.
This will help you get confidence and an understanding as to what and how your bait and rigs are working.
Any well known bait company now produce good ready made boilies, frozen or shelf life, depending on your requirements. My personal favorites being Nash or Solar, but again they are all just as good as each other really. Try to find out what other people are using and if a particular bait is working better on that particular lake
As for rigs, again keep it simple to start with, if you have chosen the right type of lake to start and learn on you shouldnt need the latest ultra complicated rig!
Try just a simple hair rig, tied on nylon or braid, check out the rig page, or try using a ready tied rig, again many well known tackle firms are now selling these, Nash, Fox etc, etc.
Before you know it you'll be making your own boilies, discussing enzmes and Ph's of lipid fats and boring all your non fishing friends!
Keep it simple and use well known reputable brands/manufacturers to start with and you wont go far wrong.