Short answer, yes. There is a big learning curve. I recommend getting a lynda.com subscription. Either that or search out tutorials online. Good luck to you. Feel free to pm me if you have any questions. If I have the answer I'm willing to help.
Here are some other resources: http://psd.tutsplus.com/ http://vector.tutsplus.com/ http://tutsplus.com/
the adobe suite is a complex suit of applications. Based on your post, I'm not sure if you're focusing on a single app or looking to become proficient in all the apps.
My suggestion is focus on a single app and get to know that before moving on.