IMO it should be compulsory for low time pilots to fly with GPS nav as a back up all the time.
I'm not arguing that. But the OP is not yet a low time pilot. He's still training to be a pilot in the first place. So learn the basics first. Visual features, dead reckoning, then move on to radio nav, then move on to GPS. All under the guidance of an instructor or experienced pilot. Know the ways the methods or equipment can fail, and plan adequately for that.
And I don't have a problem with using GPS as a primary nav. As long as you have a plan B.