Where did the "favorites" tab go? Normally there is a "favorites" tab on the left side where I can easily navigate from folder to folder...where did it go? Not sure if this is just me being stupid and accidentally disabling it, or if it disappeared on me when I updated to El Capitan.
Check the Finder Preferences to see if you have anything selected under Favorites.

From the Finder Menu


Select Finder > Preferences...
Select the Sidebar tab
Tick the boxes under Favorites that you wish to see in the Sidebar.


The Sidebar is the area on the left side.