Welcome GWM!
You are correct in assuming that you will do everything wrong on your first grow! I read everything I could get my hands on before I started my first grow and learned real fast that there's a huge difference between reading and doing. But, you very well may be the exception to that.
Treat your first attempt as nothing more than a learning experience and you will be happy along the way and may even end up with a good harvest to boot.
In the event that your 'green thumb' is as dark and colorless as mine was... start with bag seeds. You might not want to cut your teeth on seed-bank stock.
https://www.rollitup.org/view.php?pg=faq will answer most of your questions, but not all.
How To Grow Hydroponic Marijuana is what I looked at before I found R.I.U. I still reference it because the guy who wrote it explains more of the 'why' aspect of how things are done than most do.
Get second, third and fourth opinions on everything you are unsure of.
Know that some aspects have no clear cut Right or Wrong answer or method and will fall under the category of 'what works best' for the person that answers your question.
Speaking of questions... If you are unsure, ask away... R.U.I. folks love to help people out. They also like to see photos of what you are talking about. So, you don't already have one, a cheap digital camera will be a good thing to to get.
Several of the old-timers love to give us new people a wee bit of a hard time every now and then... Don't take that personally! We're just paying our dues, so to speak and it's all in good fun.
The grow journal section is a great place to get help without even having to ask. Just make sure that whomever it is that you are going to emulate is working in an environment as similar to yours as possible. There are a lot of variables to account for.
But, you should also keep in mind... it doesn't have to be anymore complicated than seeds in dirt with light and water. Just depends on what you want out of it. There are folks here that have grown for years as simple as seeds in dirt and others that have set-ups that look like something that NASA built.
Tattoo the number one rule of growing to the inside of your eyelids
DON'T TELL ANYONE!
Good luck and welcome to the club. 
