I'm also new to the forum, but love bass fishing. The way I started out is by using cheap trick worms (Zoom, Bass Pro Shops, etc) and after mastering the trick worm, I continued to use soft plastics until I was comfortable and experienced enough to try other kinds of lures, so that's how I'd recommend you start out to "test the waters" and see if you actually like fishing and are committed to it.
Best of luck!!!