Playing the guitar definitely adds up to your cool quotient.
Strumming away confidently, amidst a band, suits you and your image completely.
After all, there are others to cover you up, in case you goof up - but a solo piece is a different ball game altogether.
Either you know it, or you are exposed to the hilt.
In the midst of a band performance, if you are suddenly asked to go solo, you might have the worst nightmare of your life, lest you are capable of handling it.
The most important question here is how you learn to play guitar solos fast, real fast.
Try not getting into unnecessary theory, and steer clear of unimportant technicalities.
Learn only what is relevant and important, you will get there faster.
As soon as you learn some fresh concepts like, bends or riffs or anything else, first give it a few days of practice.
Then, straight away plunge into a song which is preferably a popular one, and also incorporates these concepts.
The moment you play a song you identify with the concepts easily.
They don't seem that difficult any more.
Above all, this gives you the confidence to go solo.
If you just concentrate on picking up the concepts, and plan to turn to songs at the end of your course, chances are that you might run into lot of confusion and also be low on confidence.
If you are looking to really accelerate your progress, it's advisable to avoid getting into the intricacies of the music notation or language.
A majority of professionals, especially those who play the rock form, are not well versed in this.
You might learn the "TAB" instead, as this is specifically meant for guitar.
It's also much easier to learn as it uses fret numbers.
The simplest way to bail you out of this situation is to make a simple melody yourself, using a maximum of three to four notes.
Play this along with some songs, till you get the rhythm right.
An easy piece might not be unique but your success in this will definitely help in killing your fear to play guitar solos.