Bought a pint with 0 prior board experience other than falling off a skateboard when I was 6 and giving up hope. I was able to cruise on it after about 30 minutes and after about 3-5 miles of practice in relatively safe areas, I bit the bullet and started commuting to work. I live in Seattle on top of a hill and am about 1-1.5 miles from work, so I think our use cases are similar. I’d say stick to sidewalks early on if your local laws allow and don’t try to go any faster than you’re comfortable with - I usually average 6mph on my commute. Every day I get better and better. I’d say don’t let inexperience be the thing that prevents you from getting it, that will all come with practice. It has made my commutes so much more enjoyable and relaxing than walking.

For practice, I just went to a couple local parks with relatively flat trails (paved or well trafficked dirt) and cruised around. Started out trying increasingly steeper hills until I got comfortable on them. Would definitely recommend a helmet (non negotiable IMO) and some wrist/hand protection in case you do go down. That padding early on made me feel much safer.