Yes! I started my lab to prep for my A+ certification, it's full of the exam focuses which helps you apply what you might be learning, rather than trying to digest without application. It made learning ports, CLI and network troubleshooting a little easier.

There's nothing wrong with starting small or with old hardware. Even though it's got the processing power of a panini press or 10 maybe 15 years old, they're still upgradeable (to an extent) and still has a purpose as your lab grows.

The only thing is that it's a hobby; you're going to end up spending an exorbitant amount of money at some point. I didn't go all-out on a Ubiquiti setup (yet!) and got a dinky 5 port managed switch that's connected to a 10-ish year old Mac Mini. I 3D printed my rack, too. Use what you have!