Congrats on the first flight! I remeber my first two flights very well. It is VERY overwhelming at first, but your knowledge and skills will soon increase so much you won’t be able to believe that you had problems. And don’t freak out about atc. Just keep trying, it will become automatic eventually.
The real training will start once you go to college. Out of curiosity, what University do you have in mind? I am attending Southern Illinois University at the moment. It’s a great school and has a great flight program. It took me from zero time to commercial in about a year and a half. There are great instructors here, and our flight team is number 1 in the nation!
My biggest struggle with my first few flights was talking to atc as well. Luckily we have a great and forgiving control tower at our airport that understands and helps new students adapt to talking on the radio. They will slow down there speech, and even offer pointers for future reference.
SIU also offers numerous internships with airlines and corporate flight departments. These help immensely with getting your foot into the industry and also with getting your first job.
If you haven’t decide where to go for college, check out Siu.