Regarding EGA, I think the most appropriate answer is: "wy bother ?". Unless you have a really special interest, you shouldn't.
Edit
Expanding on this (it seems a lot of people seems it's just flame): When you are starting to learn algebraic geometry you have to cover a lot of material. Here is a list of what you must cover:
- Hartshorne,
- Some complex-point-of-view book (e.g. Griffith and Harris or Gunning's books)
- Something from an arithmetic point of view (e.g. Silverman)
- Fulton's intersection theory.
- Some book about curves (my preference is ACGH, but there are many options)
- some book about surfaces (e.g. Beauville or but Barth et-al)
All this come before and during reading material in your speciality, anything modern, or anything which is just plain fun. So what are you to do ? Read the list above and some more from your-speciality/modern/fun, or are you going to do alg-geom all over again, but this time with non-noetherian rings ?
end of Edit
SGA s a different beast. I read parts of 4.5, and was glad I did.
