I'm new to knife sharpening so please be gentle. When I read that people are sharpening there knives at a 30 degree angle, does that me 15 degrees on each side or does it mean 30 degress on each side.

Yep, you got it.

I think they mean 30 degrees inclusive. 15 degrees per side. A rather fragile edge, in my opinion.
Except for a slicer, I prefer 20, per side, 40 inclusive, as a good compromise between slicing ability and strength.
It takes a pretty high grade steel to work reliably at 15, in my experience.

Thanks for clearing that up.

Everything I've ever read has said between 20�-23�. I use 21.5�-22�.......

You have the terminology correct and the angle for me is based on blade steel, geometry and intended useage.

I use a double bevel on pretty much everything. Pocket knives with decent steel get 21 deg on the first and 24 deg (21/24) for the second bevel (Edgepro apex). Kitchen knives or thin hunting knives with good steel such as S30V or CP154 get 15/18 and I have never had an issue with chipping. I tried D2 at 15/18 and kept popping the edge, never figured out if it was the heat treat and just not enough steel behind the edge.

An example.