Well, it's important to balance your desire with your willingness to learn the tools at hand. Buttering up your technically-versed friends is helpful too. Darth Editous and MeBeJedi have always been helpful in areas where I just plain suck. Still, if you're wanting to do professional titles, and After Effects is the recommended tool, it's best to experiment with the tool to get the effect you want. Then you have another skill under your belt, the titles you wanted, and the satisfaction of knowing you did it yourself.