This is what I inherited today:

[babylonsister]

A Canon AE-1 Program camera with a Soliger 70-220 mm lens.
It's a dinosaur, heavy, but might be good for practice.
Any thoughts other than canning it and getting one
more up-to-date? The pos and neg opinions are all welcome.
And what did you start with?
This is my first experience w/something more heavy-duty than a
point and shoot.
Thanks!

[ConsAreLiars]

1. Start with slide film.

This will let you see what you did, rather than some machine's attempt to make what you did "better."

Instead of AutoMagic programmed settings, take each shot at a high-exposure-speed/wide-open aperture, and a low-speed/small aperture until you become clear on what differences those settings make. Overexpose and underexpose any particular shot by one or two stops, so you can see what difference that kind of choice makes. The main differeence between a point-shoot camera and a more controllable one like the Canon AE-1 will be when these kinds of decision is done by the photographer, rather than some mechanism. Keep notes at first, until that is no longer helpful.

[babylonsister]

2. Thanks so much for your pointers.

What do you mean by slide film? As opposed to regular old film?
Yes, I see what you mean as far as getting the most out of experimenting.
And I've already decided to notate what I take, on what setting, and why.
Baby steps for me.
Thanks.

[ConsAreLiars]

3. Slide film or transparency film is basically the same as movie film.

Instead of a negative, you get a positive image on the orginal film which can be viewed directly or projected, without being printed on paper. The advantage is that What You Shot Is What You See, in contrast to prints made from negatives, which can vary greatly. As a learning tool, it lets you see what your camera recorded. The downside is that getting slide film processed is a bit more trouble and you need a projector to see the results.

(edit to add) If you don't already have a projector, I wouldn't recommend using slide film and buying one just for this purpose. Use that $$$ for getting your film negatives images digitized for posting here.