How did you guys get started?

[crazynoises]

Check your diodes. It looks like you may have one reversed, but can't tell for sure. It's the one above the 51 pf ceramic capacitor.

Also, I assume you tested it with the IC chip in the circuit and it was placed correctly? Don't laugh-- I have made both those mistakes. The IC socket also looks a little tilted and they have short/easily bent leads so maybe double check that.

Two things to consider in future builds, though they may not be an issue here:

1) You may want to socket your transistors. This has a couple advantages. One is that you can sometimes fry a transistor with the heat from a soldering iron. But the other is that you said you wanted to experiment and learn about pedals. The gain from transistors can play a big role in dirt pedals so socketing them gives you a chance to experiment with different ones.

2) If you use stranded wire, twist the strands together and then tin it. Some of your wires look not-so-twisted but then others look like they might be okay.

[eatyourguitar]

assuming that the board is correct and I don't know if it is, I see the power entry and footswitch soldering look highly suspect. on the footswitch you used too much solder and not enough heat. bad news is that you probably need to buy a new footswitch if the connections are in fact bridged by solder. they melt easy so doing anything twice on footswitches can destroy them pretty quick, even with the right tools. use your meter to test continuity for all your suspected unwanted solder bridges.