Welcome 
There’s a lot to learn for sure but it’s a fun process.
As for slate settings, that is easy. Lots of people have posted about it, so if you search for slate settings like this:
You’ll find a lot of posts about it.
Beyond that there are some great posts about getting started, tutorials for inkscape and photoshop and AI and GIMP. You can learn so much so quickly, it’s pretty amazing.
Here’s a great “getting started” post. It’ll get your brain going
As for ideas, the entire “made on a Glowforge” category is full of them! It’s a great way to get some inspiration. Design files? That’s what free laser designs category is for.
Beyond that google is an amazing resource here too. Searching for “laser cutter projects” or “laser cutter files” is an entire afternoon of surfing by itself.
I keep a notebook where I jot down my ideas as I have them. Some I don’t get to, some I come back to, but I get ideas in bursts, and when they come I have to make a record or I will forget.
I hope you get past the buyer’s remorse stage. There are so many ways to enjoy the Glowforge and many of them don’t require a deep knowledge of software. I can’t wait to see what you make with it.