I come from a web dev background, and spent the last 3 years running the cloud and embedded firmware teams for a 3D printer startup. I learned that hardware isn't so hard, once you get past all the mystery. My coworkers gave me tips on which tools to use, and helped me when I got stuck.

The best advice I got was "Read the datasheet"

The biggest step for me was deciding to spend money on experimenting. With a budget, suddenly it was fun to order stuff, buy tools, try things out.

Rust Book was the best for learning Rust.

I've got the same mindset with a hardware project I worked on. I gave myself more free rein to just buy equipment and tools all in the name of "the project".

I spent about $5000 over two years. Not bad at all, really. A lot of that was registering an LLC and a Fusion360 license.