Advice on getting started with Emacs?

Looking to transfer away from VSCode and other IDEs, and was wondering if you guys have suggestions for how to build a decent config for emacs.

Check out doom emacs. It somewhat 'just works' like vscode, etc but still gives you the freedom to customize however you like

There's a youtube channel called System Crafters that has this "Emacs from Scratch" series. Good for setting up a basic config if Doom is too heavy.

doom emacs if you're familiar with vim keybinding.

I watch it to fill some gaps in my ELisp knowledge. Unfortunately for authors their channel is underrated. I think that with such content they should have more up votes on their videos. Personally I can recommend DistroTube channel: it's not only about Emacs but other things too. :)

Explore. GNU emacs, Spacemacs, try to write a config, fail miserably. Try again. Succeed. Write a function for what you're trying to do often.

Just start to use emacs as a main tool. It can be slow at the beginning but after first week you will know how it work and what part of it you want to refine for yourself.

As what someone else said, system crafters is amazing. I myself use doom emacs as I'm too busy / dumb to create my own crazy configs. But system crafters give you a good place to stand up on

https://www.emacswiki.org/emacs/SiteMap#LearningEmacs

Read tutorials and watch videos on Org mode and the GNU Hyperbole package. These two will make a lot of Emacs facilities easier to use day-to-day with only minimal configuration.

If you are coming from the vim world, try not to use Emacs the vim way, explore native Emacs keybindings, you may find it difficult or hard at first but don’t give up yet, that’s half the battle won towards exploring Emacs awesomeness. Take a print out of the helpful emacs keybindings and shortcuts and use it as a reference for your daily work in Emacs. Good luck.

Start with a blank configuration. Note what you do not like. Fix it. Repeat. Emacs is optimized for extreme configuration and that only pays off in the long run and only if you understand enough about Emacs to make it sing. If you start with a giant configuration by someone else you might have an easier time starting but that will come at the expense of the deep understanding that makes magic possible.

Check out and confirm that lsp mode is going to work for you. As you alter your config, check regularly that lsp mode is working. Keep your .eMacs.d in version control.