To be honest, node.js isn't the kind of place for a complete beginner - it changes fast and there's a lot of outdated information available (which doesn't say which version it was meant to work with).

Even as an experienced programmer, I'm still reticent to use node in any real projects, (mostly because I'd spend half my time updating it to work with the latest release).

Of course, it can be fun to hack on a fast moving platform, but it can be annoying too, when you spend your evening trying to get an environment set-up on an obscure platform rather than writing any useful code.