What do I need to know before buying my first ever electric guitar?

I'm mainly confused about pickups. How do I decide what is good for me? I was at a store today and there was a guitar with 2 sets of pickups, one closer to the end, and one closer to the neck, and it had a lever for changing which pickup was louder, and a knob that did something... I don't know what but basically at 0 it sounded more clear and at 100 it was more harmonic or muffled maybe... and that's when I realised this stuff is pretty complicated and I would really love some advice.

All I know of what I want, is I really like heads that keep the pegs at one side, or headless guitars also seem great for maintenance and size. Also that I really want the strings to be spaced apart as much as possible for my sausage fingers. I don't know anything about any whammy bars, knobs, or switches.

So please, if you feel like it, tell me about electric guitars!