Exactly this. All of the upfront choices, will I make the right choice? I've been meaning to jump in and learn. After years of backend development (C#, Python, and some Go), I want to give JS a shot and at least experiment.
It's a daunting process that I keep pushing back as there is no immediate need.
The best thing to remember is that if you're doing it for fun and learning, you don't need anything but a plain old HTML5 and a plain old script tag. Once you feel you need something more than that for a particular project (or for work) you'll be better able to evaluate what's out there.
This. Someone starting out should not be using webpack, react, jquery, lodash, etc. etc. etc. You need to first learn vanilla javascript which requires nothing more than a browser and a text editor.
Realistically, you won't make the right choice. But that's okay. Because of the number and size of most packages, they are easily replaceable.
Like the commenter higher up said, it's not like C#, Python, or Go where if you have an issue with a library, it could take days to find and implement a replacement. The vast majority of libraries in JS land are small and single purpose. Think of it as replacing the air-filter in your car vs the whole engine.
It's a daunting process that I keep pushing back as there is no immediate need.