It can be. The usual path would be to start building from a design which someone else created, and also review as many existing schematics as you can to get an idea of the different possible variations.
I would always recommend starting with a good grasp of fundamentals of technician work, i.e. soldering, unsoldering, proper ESD (static electricity) control so that you do not damage components, measurement techniques for voltage and current, etc.
I would also recommend not skimping on tools. I assume you have had experience where poor quality mechanical tools can make your life miserable, and poor soldering tools are the same way for electronic work. Fortunately good quality soldering gear is quite a bit less expensive than it was a couple of decades ago.
All my technician (and engineering) books are from decades ago, so I don't know what would be a current good reference, but at least in the past books made for technicians covered the basics of device operation so you could effectively troubleshoot a previously working design, and engineering books went a little lower level and more details so you had some additional information for designing from scratch. I do see that "Electronic Principles" by Malvino that I used years and years ago (in first level technician class) is still available as a 9th edition now.
One good book which straddles the line between theory and practical design advice is "The Art of Electronics" by Horowitz and Hill. It is a bit large and expensive, and can be a bit overwhelming to start with, so probably not the first book to start with, more a second or third level book when you want to go a bit deeper.
Have you found the "Analog Theory and Design reference books" thread in the Drawing Board forum yet?
reference books sticky thread
