[ching_wow_ka]

If you're a beginner, you're probably going to be too overwhelmed by the options. I often find emailing/asking a few different professors/researchers/students in the field you want to learn for suggestions more productive.

That's not to say this isn't helpful. This is from my own personal experience.

[larrydag]

Also get plugged into a local meetup/user group. They are popping up everywhere. Here are some examples of R user groups. http://blog.revolutionanalytics.com/local-r-groups.html