Knowledge is power!!

As the title says knowledge is power and I have a hell of a lot of learning to do before I even contemplate opening any accounts!

Im looking at putting some spare cash to work and want to start trading shares but with so much information about whether to trade equities, options, forex etc and whether buying shares or speadbetting is cheaper on tax Im looking for people with a bit of experience to narrow down the learning curve.
I work during the day so will be trading/betting in the evenings on the US markets. I want to cover both short term and long term gains by buying and holding long term stock for the dividends but the short term trades (daily/weekly/monthly) should I buy the shares or bet on the price, which option is the most tax/cost efficient?
Trying to read about and learn all the aspects of trading will keep me busy for years so any advice on which areas/styles I should focus on as a starting point would be appreciated.

Thanks

Study and practice. Paper trading is a good place to test your ideas or the ideas of others that you might want to adopt.