Actually, if you are a serious amateur, I would recommend that you start shooting more in NEF. Once you realize the control you have, you will never want to go back to JPEG Fine again! The problem with JPEG, as you probably know, is that the format has already made exposure decisions for you that are irreversible. Why not start with everything your camera captured and make your own decisions?

If you do shoot NEF, I would recommend Nikon Capture. It is surperior to Photoshop in how it handles NEF images, and once you learn how to use it, it will speed your workflow. I am not sure which version of PS you have, but be sure to download any patches you need and keep it up to date.

While I am at it, I will heartily recommend Photoshop CS2 (I get nothing out of doing so--I am a lowly professional photographer and do not work for Adobe--but it is an excellent program once you master its steep learning curve).