For newbies its really better.if they could just buy bitcoin and other top so they can practice there trading skills on this coins and they will not get worried about if they might be scam since this coins are giants in the market. But I may not recommend him to go to telegram since there are so many scammers there. Much better if he stays on trading discussion and altcoin boards since he can learn a lot there.
What you suggest to start buying bitcoin and top altcoins is good advice and is also used to practice trading skills. This will be quite better and safer than following an unclear shitcoin project and of course there will be more risk of losing it. One of the dangerous places for beginners is Telegram because many scammers target new users to carry out fraudulent acts by offering projects that are profitable by up to thousands of percent and several other fraudulent methods. You should be alert when you get private messages from anyone you don't know.