One newbie to another...I too began learning web coding with a WYSIWYG program and have since migrated. There is NOTHING wrong with that at all. In fact, Kudos to you for taking the plunge.
The reason so many like to code otherwise is because those type of programs actually limit your abilities in the long run and add waaaaay more markup than is ever needed.
Yes, DIV tags are far greater and so much more powerful than tables. You are not limited to rows and columns with them as you are with the traditional tables. May I recommend a book, "CSS Mastery" by Andy Budd. It is a very thorough, easy read that makes these DIV tags and CSS styles all come together and make sense. You can also look him up on the web with a google search for his name.
Good luck to you!