I'm nearly a complete programming newb myself (I took a Python course a few years ago but that's it). I started by getting a Javascript book and reading through it. When I was starting to learn, Code Academy started up as well. Its not a bad resource. Interactive and free, so always a plus. It helped me more than the book. I would love to find a basic Javascript class that I could do in person with a teacher...I'm not great at learning on my own.
But I've been plugging away for some time now, probably a good year or so. I've hit some major bumps along the way, and restarted a time or two, but I'm now making progress. I still have days where I look at the forums or documentation and my head spins, but its all about just jumping in and trying your best. You'll get there. There are definitely some great resources out there.
I will admit, I tend to stick to doing things where there are samples already made. Its much easier to change a few lines to fit your own data than to do things from scratch.