That's one way, and it's a good one.
Another way is to start building simple little projects, such as you'll find here and all over the web. Pick something that looks interesting, doesn't require too many parts (or expensive parts), build it an learn from your mistakes.
I would invest in a breadboard, a flat panel with lots of connections you can use to build temporary circuits to experiment with them without having to solder wires or etch a circuit board. You can build lots of stuff this way.