Tomahawk99:
The best way to go about it is to learn the basics.
Mind you, you will not become a penetration tester in a year. You need lots of practice.
Learn basics like TCP/IP protocol (Important), Linux OS, subscribe to some YouTube channels for good tutorials, textbooks. You can also join study forums like HackTheBox where you get to learn the practicals.
Pentester academy is also another good place to study to become a penetration tester.
I started my journey of becoming a penetration tester in 2016. HackTheBox, YouTube, Cybrary, Pentester academy, books like The Hacker playbook 1&2, Penetration testing: Introduction to hacking by Georgia Weidman, Red Team Field manual, Linux for hackers and resources/links & free mentorship on Twitter.
For certs you can start with CompTIA Security+ or the new Penetration testing course introduced by CompTIA. I took the certified ethical hacker (CEH) version 10 certification course and now am preparing to take the Offensive Security OSCP course which is highly regarded in the infosec industry.

I have comptia security+ voucher for sale. Anyone interested can contact me.