Circle M, you are light years ahead of most people. I truly believe that by being a green novice and learning from the pros, you will be much more receptive and make a much better student than those who "already know it all".
There aren't many things that I'm "good" enough at to be a teacher, but the few times that I have taught somebody something have made it very clear to me that it's far easier to teach someone that is a complete rookie, has no bad habits and truly wants to learn.
You go to all the clinics you can and learn from all of the very best people you can and you will know more about handling cattle than some people who have spent most of their lives handling them the wrong way.