Spending your skill points.

I just started playiing Guild Wars last night and I haven't been able to find a way to spend my skill points to improve my skills after I level. When you are in "newbie land" is this not an option and you have to wait until you get to the "mainland"? According to the guide you should be able to find someone to spend your skill points with in any city; no luck as of yet doing so.

In pre-searing Ascalon, there is nowhere to spend skill points. There are no skill vendors.

You ca use skill point for buying new skills - not for improving the ones you have. If you want to improve skills, you have to allocate your atribute points in to the atribute the skills belon to (press 'H' to open your hero screen).
For example, if you want to improve the elementalist skill Firestorm, you have to raise your Fire Mastery atribute.

Thank you!