MortalKombat has some good suggestions. However, to clear up some confusion, you CAN respec your points. The only thing you can’t redo is change your Masteries, but attribute points, skill points, and devotion points can all be reset (the latter two with the Spirit Guide and attribute points with Tonic of Reshaping, available in the expansion).
So in that sense, don’t worry about being stuck later if you switch back to ranged. If that was what was working for you, do that. You’ll be able to adjust things later. Like MortalKombat said, any build that includes Soldier is pretty good for a beginner, since it has so many built-in survivability skills, which makes you less dependent on gear.
I feel you on the components dilemma. Honestly, I highly recommend dedicating a single shared stash tab (so all your characters will have access/dump in the same place) to components and crafting materials and then using the built-in auto sort feature. This will alphabetize them all which makes it a little easier to find what you’re looking for. Also, as you play more, you’ll get a feel for what’s what, just takes some experience.
Also, for some more tips and helpful information for beginners, check out my New Player Knowledge Compendium. Trust me, I had all the same questions you did when I started and that should do a lot to help you feel more comfortable with game mechanics.