I agree with Tony, best you get a better idea about each type of telescope before jumping in, and visiting a club is one way to do that. Chatting to people at an
ASWA HOW night might suit.
Refractors and SCT's are very different telescopes, suited to different things. What are you after? a general all-rounder? planetary or deep sky? photography or visual? not sure, just want a scope (fair enough)?
Suggest you research on the web about the different types, what their pluses and minsuses are. There's a lot of info out there regarding buying a telescope and the pros and cons.
It's not meant to be easy
Roger.