Traded since '78, and be very wary of anyone claiming free money with penny stocks. This is the stuff infomercials are made of.
Money can be made in the market, and there are countless ways to trade it, unfortunately only you know what will work for you, and it will take some time and exposure/risk to find your own level.
I think the best advice I can offer, is to open an account at an online brokerage, (some you can open with just 500.00), to get their trading software platform on your computer, and DONT invest in a damn thing for weeks, maybe months. But watch the trading every day you can for at least 2 hours. That is the best teacher. The market itself. It has a cadence, and speed at which it reacts to news, commodity prices, and money exchanges, and you need to become fully aware of what the drivers are. For instance, watch the live trading of the US oil fund (symbol "USO" on the AMEX)...and then watch companys connected to oil, like "HAL" (Halliburton), and you will see it trails but shadows the oil almost perfectly, and Ive traded those two for years now, as it is very predictable, and easy to follow. I dont put in the time studying balance sheets and gambling on one company any more. Been burned too many times. Now it is just funds, or indices, as they are much easier to trade.
Lots more can be said, but I would not advise (and neither would any reputable CFP) 1% of your portfolio be involved in pink-sheet stocks or penny stocks that do not have to conform to the regulations of the exchanges.