A small amount of editing knowledge goes a long way toward images that look like what you remember seeing.
RAW vs. JPEG: JPEG is processed and ready-to-share — simpler, and forces you to nail exposure in-camera. RAW retains far more flexibility to correct exposure and recover detail after the fact. Shoot JPEG while learning exposure; move to RAW once you want more editing control (many cameras support both together).
A repeatable edit order: crop/straighten → white balance → exposure → contrast → highlights/shadows → saturation (light touch — oversaturation is a top beginner mistake) → sharpening (applied last, sparingly).
You don't need expensive software — free tools cover every step competently. A consistent process, applied the same way each time, improves your results more than which software you use.