Stick shift for first car?

Ok, so I'm a nanny and my boss and her family are moving, and I need to get my license and a car in the next few months because that commute on the bus will be exhausting for me. My landlord, who I have known for 10+ years, is selling her old honda accord, and is willing to let me make payments on it. It needs a few repairs but the price of the car and the repair is way less than I had planned on spending on a car in the first place. Its the perfect size and has a good appearance too. BUT it has a manual transmission which I have no experience with (honestly my experience with driving even an automatic is limited…) There's a good school nearby where I could take lessons, but I'm still not sure… I want the car so badly, but I wanna be sure I can handle it.

There are plenty of steep hills where my boss is moving, and I would have to get on the freeway, and I'm sure there'll be plenty of traffic… I intend to take it slow at first, maybe drive around the neighborhood then to the grocery store, things like that after I get my license. So… Should I go for it or not?

Manuals are a lot of fun. If you get it I'd make sure to watch videos to make sure you know how to start, go, stop, up/down shift, and tricks like rev matching. They're cheaper but you have to be into cars to really get the feel for them. (it just makes it easier)

Willing to learn to drive a stick shift is the first step.
Get someone who is willing to, teach you.
My first car was a stick. I learned first by just going up and down tne drive way. You first need to learn how to get the car moving from a stopped position.
It can be done in a day or 2 maybe a bit longer. You just need to teach your mind and body to work together.
Also try YouTube for learning videos.

The "plenty of steep hills" worries me since you're not really an experienced driver to begin with. It takes some skill to parallel park a manual car on a hill and do it both comfortably and reliably, so that will take some time to learn. If you have a good instructor, I'd highly recommend that you learn to drive a stick though. It will make you a better driver overall and it opens up a lot more possibilities as far as not only driving your own car, but the vehicles of others that you might need to drive sometime. Just don't expect to get the hang of it over night. The Accord is a very good car, and if the lady took care of it and will let you make payments, what's to lose?

I had always wanted to learn to drive a manual but was always afraid of ruining the car. I found the best way for me to learn was to ride with someone in one and watch their feet and hands. And I'd ask LOADSTONE of questions; "so you can just put the clutch in an throw it in neutral to slow down?" (When it's in neutral you can release the clutch) basically the only scary thing is downshifting but if you just slow down with neutral and know generally what gears match what speeds you can go from 5th to 2nd if you slow down to the right speed in neutral. Downshifting is for losers. Just don't be afraid of killing it and remember to be gentle with the gas when you're releasing the clutch

You'll realistically need a month to be able to drive a manual transmission without constantly stalling. The hills will take some time to master. Any idiot should be able to do it. Go for it. If I were to buy an old car, I'd go with a manual because automatic transmission are known to go earlier than manuals.