...and I think John summed it up pretty well at the end of his post. A sub-$300 lens won't be the greatest but it will get you out there taking pictures. It's better to be shooting and learning than saving for the best gear or waiting for the next model to be coming out.

Get it, go out and shoot and down the road you'll figure out if it works well for you or if something else will work better for you. That's the real reason to upgrade IMO.