I am also a new brewer. I'm only brewing my 3rd batch tonight actually. Although I do have 2 apfelweins, 2 meads, and 2 wine kits now under my belt. Those however, are not really "brewing" like beer is, or I guess should say they do not require as much input and also do not seem to have as high a chance of failure (not at my level, obviously once you make mead and wine for real then you can have LOTS of problems).
As far as the glass vs plastic and its use as a primary, its kind of like paper vs plastic at the grocery store. I have yet to try the glass as a primary fermenter, but if you do, make sure you use the 6.5 gallon carboy just in case. Krausen can get pretty big, especially if you're a fan of wheats like I am. I am thus far pleased using buckets for primaries. They are easier (IMO) to siphon out of. I have yet to break any of my carboys despite my beginning brewer clumsiness. The glass is also pretty easy to clean surprisingly. Like others have said, hot water and what ever kind of cleaner you use. Often the carboy brush is not even necessary, although I'm the paranoid type and swoosh it around in there anyways. If you're looking for a fun way for this hobby to take up more time, but do not yet want to take a crack at All Grain (I'm wanting to but holding myself back on that one), start playing with your yeasts. Get yourself a stir plate, make big starters, start harvesting cakes from your brews! It can look complicated but its kind of fun in my opinion. Granted I'm a student so I'm looking for distractions/ways to practically apply what I'm being taught in class.