How I started.
To start with I bought my own server .I always had a home server which I used for streaming media.I have couple of them now One running Oracle Linux and other Ubuntu.Make sure you dont overspend and buy used rack servers online and you can always upgrade.
Most of the time, I just roll with Ubuntu and mostly recommend if you are learning stuff and dont have so spend too much time on OS related debugging. The reason is simple: Ubuntu Server is easy to administer, well documented, and has a pretty low learning curve.
Having a home server allows you to experiment with many new technologies out there you can always spin up virtual machines to test out new stuff.Install your software on one VM and clone them and create a cluster and do the required configs on each so they talk to each other.You can create your own kafka , hdfs , spark clusters to name a few easily that way.One thing I learned is that it is better to download the binaries of the software build them never go for the easy route of apt-get install.Also never be troubled by the errors You learn a lot from the errors you make.
I have leaned and configured the things by awesome support from folks at stackoverflow and other online communities.
I am learning new stuff every single day and I want to share what I learned along the way.
Not sure who said this but I do like this quote.
It is In vain have you acquired knowledge if you have not imparted it to others.