Hard to beat Smith as a climbing classroom.
Everything from overbolted monstrosities to high end trad with great protection.
There are many topics on how to build a rack. Try searching for trad rack or something.
Certainly. The same strategy might doom someone to a low rate of progression, unwilling to take risks to find out where their true abilities lie.
But a healthy respect for falling is not a bad thing.
Nice to do a bit of sport/TR climbing first so that you can comfortably climb steeper trad routes that are not slightly tilted parking lots - i.e. you won't become a human crayon if you fall.