Welcome!
Reading the forum and books (by different authors - important, that) can improve your theoretical knowledge.
However, there is nothing quite like seeing inside as many other hives as possible to accelerate learning. You have the opportunity of experiencing bees with different tempers, different hive designs, apiary setups and seeing first-hand a whole slew of situations that it is better to have thought about before you see them in your own hive.
Recognising the state of the colony quickly only comes with experience, lots of it. And you can multiply your rate of gaining experience by seeing inside more hives!
Do join an association.
They may look odd and occasionally smell funny, but they are almost certainly harmless - to humans anyway, if not bees!
One side-benefit of membership is insurance. Probably worth it for that quite apart from the meetings and support network.
Oh, and going up to two colonies gets you much more self-sufficiency in terms of being able to recover from mistakes and ill-fortune. But it also means you should double the amount of spare equipment! Winter is the time for the Sales and for making plans ...
/// Nothing wrong with talking to the bees. Its actually traditional. Just check no-one else is listening...