Like many others, I started my GNU/Linux journey with Ubuntu 18.04 on a Raspberry Pi 2 Model B. I borrowed it from my friend in 2020, who also happens to be an I.T. teacher at the local community college. Similarly to many starting off with Ubuntu, I had no clue what to do with it; I had no idea what Linux - or Ubuntu - could do.
An year later my brother-in-law gave me his old Samsung laptop and immediately installed Ubuntu. At first, I tried the Gnome desktop-environment for a couple weeks and for some reason I didn't like it. I distro-hopped for about a couple of weeks; I went from Ubuntu to Kali Linux to attempting an Arch Linux installation then settling for ParrotOS Home Edition for a couple of weeks. It was then I was introduced to the KDE Plasma desktop environment.
Those who use, or have used, KDE know how amazing it is.
While distro-hopping, and my time on ParrotOS, I got pretty comfortable using the Linux terminal. I was pretty content with ParrotOS, but I thought it was a bit too bloated for me at the time. I didn't need any of the "security-geared" tools, so I did some snooping around Google and decided to try my hand with Debian 11 KDE.
I immediately fell in love with Debian 11, but I want to make it clear that I am by no means an expert or intermediate user. I, however, am comfortable with bash and have the patience to do a simple Google search troubleshooting.
If you want to make the switch from Windows/ Mac to a Linux distribution, I highly recommend understanding the following:
1. GNU/Linux IS NOT Windows or Mac. Understandably, most people that switch from a different operating system want Linux to perform or look-like their previous OSes.
2. If your job and/or school needs propriety software (Adobe Create Cloud, Microsoft Office Suite) just stick to Windows/ Mac
3. If you're not comfortable doing your own research for troubleshooting, Linux isn't probably for you.
I don't want to "force" anyone to switch to Linux, but; I recommend giving it a try, especially if you want a career in anything I.T. related.
I wish to encourage you to download a hypervisor such as VirtualBox or VMware Workstation Player and download a Linux ISO and give it ago.
Recommended Beginner-Friendly Linux Distributions:
Ubuntu - Debian-Based
Linux Mint - Debian-Based
PopOS - Debian-Based
Manjaro Linux - Arch-Based
When I say "beginner-friendly," I mean that they are relatively easy to install and typically run straight out of the box without much "configuration" to be done.