Definitely read some if it makes you feel better! But don't get too caught up in feeling "confident" before making the next steps--there are plenty of people willing to guide you through them, and it's a great way to learn. For instance, I knew Perl before going in, but I still needed guidance, because starting out I didn't know where things were in the Dreamwidth code, or how to generate a patch--everyone needs some guidance when they first start!