Sure I would of used a simulator back in the day too, however they do not teach you one of the hardest aspects of trading: controlling emotion. Nor are they very accurate in terms of volume or fills.
Personally, I would of avoided listening to the many bellwether analysts and done more of my own due diligence/modeling.
At the end of the day, learning the hard way is usually the most effective. I would of cared less about my alpha tracking error and focused more on higher growth plays as opposed to momo bounces.
Technical analysis is most certainly not the only thing to focus on as you will be correct about the same amount of times as someone only using fundamental analysis will. (Slightly over 51%). This is the number one thing that pisses me off about internet trading forums, is that 90% of the focus is on charting, yet it will yield nearly the exact same outcome as someone who can properly utilize fundamentals.
Also, I would also look into, passive and active management and decide which best suites your needs. It is a lot cheaper to make ~6% with a vangaurd ETF than it is to potentially lose everything and not beat the market after taxes/transaction costs.
Contrary to the above posts, I would NOT recommend Forex to someone new to trading, learn to scalp before you kill.