Solidworks user trying to transition to Blender

Hello! Trying to figure out how to 1)Draw a curve locked to the X plane (or any plane, just an example). Then 2) extrude a curve along the Z plane. I know how to do this in Solidworks, but having a hard time thinking in Blender mode instead of parametric mode.

Is it possible to do this in Blender? If so, any resources on how to do it? Thanks all!