Hey @JustABoringLadder ,
Welcome to AEM Learning.
if you want to learn AEM, then get register with the solution partner portal first. register it and get the AEM trial version downloaded.
If you already have an AEM jar then you don't need it.
About Learning - WKND tutorial is good to understand the project structure way. it gives knowledge about how you can create a project and repository structure.
To understand the WKND tutorial you will need to understand the AEM architecture, Components, templates, and before that a knowledge about Core Java.
https://experienceleague.adobe.com/docs/experience-manager-learn/cloud-service/underlying-technology...
you will find a lot of topics covered in adobe docs.
Apart from this if you are stuck in implementing these. you can post your question here.
Thanks,
Prince
