cloudman I'm not overly technically inclined myself and switching to GOS did present some minor challenges, but nothing that isn't too difficult to navigate. As others have said, installing the OS is rather trivial, but given that i went with Cape as my carrier, I just had them install it (they support GOS). You'll also get a huge chunk off your bill if you buy a phone through them. If you're wanting to up your game in the carrier department regarding privacy and security, and you live in the US, you cannot do better than Cape in my opinion (search YouTube for interviews with Cape). At least a few others here use them too. [removed]
I haven't used a cell in a long time and I was quite overwhelmed with how many settings there are in AOSP now, much less what GOS adds on top of Android. It was a huge difference from last Android version i used, but you can always turn to this forum for any issues you may have.
Regarding apps, GOS has its own app store with a minimal number of apps, mostly their own, plus Accrescent which is another good app store, though again, only with a small number of apps at this time. It is from Accrescent where you can grab the Cape app. For the remainder, you read all sorts of opinions here. Me, not being a developer and not wanting to spend a lot of time vetting apps, I use F-Droid for nearly everything that i can't grab from the GOS or Accrescent stores. Some others here will bash F-Droid, and for apparently for good reason too (potential security, infrastructure, signing issues), but personally I prefer it after weighing all the pluses and minuses.
mod note: removed unnecessary links and promotion of Cape's referral program