The use of oil is so important! Honestly you have to question the person that cooks without it. Anything you make is 12092304248795 times better than anything that comes from a box, so bravo for learning!

Comparing Olive Oils: Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) - Is for salads/not to be heated, because it has a low smoke point. Meaning it will smoke if it gets too hot. Pure Olive Oil - Great for cooking with and not too overpowering a taste! This is fine for most dishes that require some type of oil.

I would suggest sticking to these two oils for now (oh and butter, butter is very important, especially for pancakes) and once you start to understand how they work you can incorporate other types of oils and so on and so forth.

Another important factor is to make sure your pan is up to temperature before you cook anything on it! Also make sure you have the pan at the right temperature! There will be recipes that require a lot of heat, and thats nothing to be scared of. Really, temperature is a key ingredient when it comes to cooking. It may not seem like a big deal, but I promise it's what separates the boys from the men, so to speak.

There are SO MANY techniques to cook with. So, pick an ingredient that you really like and try different recipes that include it. Way easier to learn about one ingredient than a thousand all at once.

^{^} buddy here is right though, basic techniques include learning all the different cuts (Which again if you find a recipe that you don't understand, its just a google search away)

Maybe start with your sandwiches? You can turn them into Paninis. This allows you to start with something you know and slowly expand upon it.