There are many ways that you can enter into beekeeping.  Some people keep bees in observation hives in their homes, which look like giant ant farms. Some people make their entire living keeping bees and selling the bees pollinating services along with honey and beeswax.  But most people who keep bees do it as a hobby.  They keep bees because they like them and think that they are interesting, and because they produce honey.

To learn beekeeping as a hobby, all you need to do is either take a course or read a book.   Bees do require some specialized equipment and you need to know how to winter over your hive and when to harvest honey so that it is safe for the bees, but overall bees are very self sufficient.  Because of this learning backyard beekeeping is pretty easy.