I'm a beginner at road biking and the salesperson at my LBS knew how nervous I was about making the switch to a road bike.

He set up my bike so that my seat is lower than my handlebars and told me *not* to buy clipless yet. He told me to go out and get used to the bike, ride it around on less trafficked roads and the bike path, and when I was good and ready and comfortable with my riding, he told me to come back so he could raise my seat and then show me the clipless pedals they had available.

Honestly, it was the best advice he could have given me. I'm still not comfortable riding in a group ride but have made great progress at my local bike path and just recently joined a bike club. I don't think there is any "Set" amount of time when you "have" to do something. Its dependent on your comfort level and only you will know when you're ready to raise your seat and ride clipless, don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Good Luck.