First Time Growing

For simple hydro, I'd suggest DWC. There are videos on youtube that show various ways to grow in hydro. For DWC all you need is a 5 gallon bucket with netpot, small air pump, air tubing, good airstone, some hydroton (the clay pebbles), and a rapid rooter plug. For nutes I ususally suggest Dynagro. It's a one-part fert and has pretty much everything plants need. The expensive part of hydro is getting a good pH/TDS meter, which is expensive. Hanna makes a good one.
Soil grow for a beginner might be best, but no, hydro isn't hard. You have to buy some stuff and do your research however. You can get a bucket and netpot at your local hydro store. They probably have the other stuff too or you can get alot at Walmart or such. You might need some pH up and down too, also available at the hydro store. You can ask them for advice too. You want to clone, which will keep a cycle of living plants growing. Alot of people use a cloning gel, also available at the hydro store. Personally, I'd use the buckets instead of one large tub because one bucket per plant is easier to control.
You can also check out instructional videos:
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A 10 gallon bucket will be fine if you are using a drip system.

Push some seeds in the dirt and go man...