Third, ask questions. The microscopic, and the large fleshy fungi. The large fleshy fungi is our society's main focus. In the Pacific Northwest we have perhaps up to 10,000 different species of fungi. Of these, approximately 100 are edible and of these about 50 species are commonly collected and considered good or excellent.
Many species are deadly.
The best way to begin sorting out the maze of fungi, after you belong to a society, is to attend meetings and field trips. Use your mushroom identification books with each specie to familiarize yourself with the terminology and characteristics you need to look for. After a year you will be able to recognize from 6-12 species with a very little effort. You will also discover you acquire the Latin names of the species painlessly. The word Mycology means the study of fungi, i.e. mushrooms also commonly called toadstools.