Help me decide between unpopular opinions for newcomers [v3]

Spent the last few weekends digging into this and the deeper I go the more questions I have. Not sure if this is the right place to ask, mods please remove if it is not. Been thinking about this for a while and curious what the community thinks.

Looking for honest feedback, not validation. Not sure if this is the right place to ask, mods please remove if it is not.

Not sure if this is the right place to ask, mods please remove if it is not. Mostly thinking out loud — feel free to push back hard. Long-time lurker, first-time poster.