First is the setup, Its important to have the tools for the job so choosing an operating system that has in built tools that can be used are very important. I am a fan of kali linux as this provides a good array of tools out of the box and its a great os to start with but another option is parrot os which is just like kali. You could install these onto your pc directly however I would recommend using some sort of virtualization software like virtual box or vmware which means that you can run these operating system on top of your already existing one.

Once You have an operating system ready its time to get a basic knowledge of the tools on your system and try to build a methodology of how you will attack a system. To do this I would recommend using youtube and watching as many videos as you can related to ethical hacking or pentesting, two channels I would recommend are ‘The Cyber Mentor’ and ‘John Hammond’.

Now that you have the knowledge its time to test yourself. There are many platforms to choose from however I would recommend Tryhackme and Hackthebox. For beginners I would start with tryhackme as this has rooms that go over tools and it guides you through the process of how to break into a machine.

Finally its time to practice, once you have the hang of things its important to practice your skills and be constantly testing your skills. When you think you are ready try to move on to Hackthebox as the rooms on there are usually a lot harder than the ones on tryhackme. Also maybe try setting up your own vulnerable machines as this can provide a great insight.