new to pokémon go and looking for some beginner tips!

hi everyone! i’m pretty new to pokémon go and i’ve really started getting into it, so i’d love some advice from people who have been playing for a while. i obviously love catching and collecting pokémon that i like, but i also want to actually understand the game and eventually have some really strong pokémon for raids and battles.
i’m still trying to figure out things like when i should evolve or power something up, how much cp and ivs actually matter, which pokémon are worth investing in, how raids work, and how battles work. there’s so much information and terminology that i’m still trying to wrap my head around 😭
i’m not trying to immediately become some hardcore competitive player, but i also don’t want to waste all my stardust/candy because i didn’t know what i was doing. so if you have any beginner tips, things you wish you knew when you started, or just general advice for someone learning the game, i’d really appreciate it!