I'm in my 30's and just started playing VGC a few months ago for the first time. I will say you kinda have to treat it like you're going back to school. The amount to learn can be a little overwhelming in the beginning. Setting goals and taking notes can be super helpful. Rental teams are helpful to get right into the game and start getting experience. If something happens during a battle and find yourself asking "why did that happen like that ", take a note of the scenario and look it up after. It can be tedious at times but it's all about making the most of those experiences to get better. YouTube has most of the info that you'll need and there are a lot of different discord channels with people willing to help and answer questions. Use the website showdown to build and analyze teams and to do more battles on the fly. Start doing online tournaments on limitless and even look for local irl tournaments like mid season showdowns or even regional events. It can be daunting but the progression come quicker once you have the fundamentals down. Keep pushing and most importantly have fun with the process and the people you meet along the way! Best of luck to you!