I have a photography class and my college has sign out DSLR's. They stick with Canon because they really do have the best cameras and my professor also urges us to use Canon.
I have an Olympus because I found it on sale for about $400. It works pretty well except some pictures can be grainy at times. If money was no option, I'd have bought a Canon because they really are amazing cameras. My brother got his for about $1,000 but it came down in price after a few years (it's now about $700 at the same store).
I'd say buy a Canon, especially if you find it on sale. Getting one for about $800-$500 is a pretty good price considering all the amazing pictures you can shoot with it. And it should come with a "how-to" guide. If not, you could always use the Internet.
Good luck!