It is an excellent strategy to "just experiment." :D

However, be sure that you have allocated a machine to "experiment" on. A leftover machine... a slightly-older one... with plenty of disk-space, preferably two or three drives.

This is the machine that you have no qualms whatever about blowing up. Burn a CD-ROM or DVD-ROM of the basic stuff that was on it when you installed it "the first time," and have install media handy. (That's also a good use for the "extra" drive, which you can actually unplug from power if you're really planning to be adventurous.) Then, install away.

You're obviously no neophyte, and countless people have adopted the very same strategy... when there were no computer-classes at colleges. (Just castoff computers .. like PDP-8's in a corner of Bell Labs... ;) )