Fleetz, if at all possible, head to a club to have your setup checked and the plane test flown (and hopefully where you can buddy box it), even if it is just once. While it is possible to learn on your own, it's not easy and by no means recommended.
The simulator is great for thumb memory (where you control the plane without having to stop and think where your thumbs are) and getting your orientation sorted for when it is coming at you. The cub in the sim will odds on 'feel' a little different to yours in real life due to all sorts of factors (wind, balance, true weight, nerves etc). What the sim won't teach you is being able to judge just how fast your going in reality (I found myself going too fast on the first few flights), and where exactly you need to be to line up for your circuit and a landing, and where you should be slowing down exactly for that landing to get the right glide angle - an instructor will teach you this.
As I state above, when used correctly and in conjunction with an instructor, the sim will get you going a LOT faster than you would have otherwise would have, and it will allow you to practice specific things you need to over and over again regardless of weather, and without consequence (be it painful or fiscal consequence).
Either way, best of luck and keep us in the loop with how you progress.

PS - go to the online manual and see IF there is a setup list for the DX8 in the back of the manual - I know they (Horizon) do that with some of their micro helis