I don't think I can consider myself proficient at guitar, but I am nothing to sneer at, if I can say so myself. Jam with buddies that are a little better, and they can teach you. Next, whatever you do, don't learn by the book. Those stupid "Learn the guitar" books just teach you to play chords. Unless you are into that kind of thing, they are worthless. Get a chord chart at K-Mart for that. I hardly ever use chords, such as D7 and E5 and all that crap. But if you want to play rock music and the like, buy/burn CD's of simple punk/metal songs. "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana is a good one, or pretty much any Nirvana is good beginner stuff. "Atwa" by System of a Down is another piss-easy one. Just get the feel for power chords for rock-style music. My first song I learned 3 years ago was "Wipeout". So easy. Also try single-note stuff like that first. There is "How to Play Rock Guitar in a Nutshell".