just buy a new clutch. you'll use it.

Everything has been said here

I just wanted to say welcome to the club! Driving will be fun again :)

Driving is complex. Knowing what to pay attention to when takes time to learn.

I recommend not trying to drive a manual until you’ve already learned the basics in an automatic. In my opinion, learning to drive AND learning how to handle a manual transmission is too much at once.

Don't money shift it. That's when you feel like racing and you slam it into second from first, then from second into what you think is third but is actually first again.

Hill starts. Pedal timing for take off from standing. There's a little dance to learn, @Hossenfeffer@feddit.uk hill start advice should see you learning it.

Parked or driving, you've got to be able to take off while facing uphill without rolling back. You don't want to roll back into the person behind you. Also a good reason not to pull up too close behind others on a hill.

That's a skill that won't apply for much longer. If possible, don't learn.

Honestly, my advice, unpopular as it might be, is that unless you plan on riding a motorcycle you should probably get an automatic transmission car instead of learning on a manual transmission. Manual transmissions--in the US, anyways--are largely relegated to performance vehicles where people want them. But the hard truth is that automatic transmissions do a better job at driving efficiently and keeping the engine at a safe and ideal load than any driver with a manual. And it's a lot less hassle for most of the driving that people tend to actually do. For instance, it's uncommon to have a cruise control on a manual transmission car, which makes long drives more tiring, and stop-and-go traffic puts less wear on an automatic transmission.

If you plan on riding a motorcycle though, you must learn to use a clutch, because all non-electric motorcycles use a clutch (usually a wet clutch, but Ducati uses a dry clutch); manual transmissions are lighter and more compact, and weight matters a lot on a motorcycle.

I say this as someone that learned to drive on manual transmissions, and exclusively had cars with manual transmissions up through about 2022.