I'm a fan of working with an instructor before using the sim. You do not know what you do not know. And you can learn some bad habits on the sim that will bite you in real life. You need an instructor to show you how to do things right and show you what you need to work on. If you're a teenager, you'll probably be able to fly your apprentice on your own after 3-4 sessions with the instructor if you work at it. Then you'll need a good flying site, so a club membership and AMA dues will be your next expense in the hobby.