newbie seeks advice for starting with oracle development

hi all,

i have decided to get into oracle development.

now i need to know where i should i start from i.e. what tools and technologies should i learn which are hot and would be in demand and high paying in the future.

i learn best when i do it practically and learn by example, so i will be installing all the oracle related s/w on my pc and will be doing self-study at home.

for that i need to know what all softwares should i download to get started with learning oracle development.

thanx a lot in advance from a newbie confused soul :D

Well, you want to know the future, and if I could to foresee the future, I would be concerned about lotto numbers, broker markets, commodities, who cares about this tech thing.... ;)
Unfortunately I can´t, so I say for you : research in your area what tools/languagens/tecnologies (java. .net, delphi, whatever) are "hot" - via classified ads, HR sites, tech magazines/journals, chat with seasoned people, etc - , and study it, BUT if Oracle databases are your final target, PLEASE give a large ammount of time to learn the Oracle fundamentals and concepts, the database mechanisms, the Oracle technologies, it pays a lot in the long run...

[]s

Chiappa

Question here is what processed you to make that decision?
Do you have any previous experience in software development or was it just a brilliant idea you got this morning while shaving?