The Basics of Mining

First, you need to train in Mining.

Below is a table of all the Mining trainers:

Faction NPC Location
Horde Trainers: Makaru Center of the Valley of Honor in Orgrimmar.
Brek Stonehoof Western edge of the center plateau in Thunder Bluff.
Brom Killian South of the bridge leading to the War Quarter in the Undercity.
Alliance Trainers: Geofram Bouldertoe Deepmountain Mining Guild in Ironforge.
Gelman Stonehand  Western side of the Dwarven District in Stormwind.
Yarr Hammerstone Eastern edge of Kharanos in Dun Morogh.
Dank Drizzlecut Slightly north of Gol'Bolar Quarry in Dun Morogh.
Brock Stoneseeker Southwest side of Thelsamar in Loch Modan.
Kurdram Stonehammer Northern area of Auberdine in Darkshore
Matt Johnson Northern section of Darkshire in Duskwood.

Once you've become a miner, buy a Mining Pick, and start mining copper in one of the zones listed in the Advanced section of this guide. Before you start mining, don't forget to turn on the Find Minerals ability. This ability will make nearby mineral veins appear on your minimap as a yellow dot. When you've collected some ore, smelt it into bars at any forge. Smelting your ore will make it more valuable and allow you to use it when making items for Blacksmithing or Engineering. You can also gain Skill points by Smelting, provided the ability isn't grey.

After awhile, the Copper Veins will turn grey, and you'll no longer be able to gain skill by mining them. When this happens, you'll need to move on to the next tier of ore. Check the lists in the Advanced section of this guide to see which kind of ore you need to mine at your skill level, and how much skill you need to smelt it. You will stop gaining skill points when you reach the maximum skill level for your rank, so make sure you talk to a trainer when you've maxed out your skill.

Skill Requirement for Each Rank:

Apprentice - 0
Journeyman - 50
Expert - 125
Artisan - 200

Advanced Mining Guide