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Hi Matt,
I can answer as someone who started off going the SCT route, and have since gone over to the "dark side" by getting a dob/newt.
I LOVED my SCT. It was a great scope to start out with in this hobby because it makes the location of objects so incredibly easy with the built in computer. Mine was a 10 inch LX200 (meade). It was very comfortable to observe with using an hydraulic stool. In those early days I particularly enjoyed discovering the many beautiful open clusters and colourful double stars that inhabit our southern skies, as well as some of the brighter globs and emission nebulae.
It became evident to me within a year or two, though, that the image brightness of a 10 inch SCT is not quite up to that of a dob. The difference side by side is quite noticable. This is a non issue for the brighter targets, like Jupiter or open clusters etc. However it does make a significant difference if you want to hunt down fainter fuzzies. This is where a newtonian comes into its own.
The lack of in-built computer with a dob can be rectified without too much angst with the assistance of an Argo Navis. If you include encoders and cables etc, this may add about $1000 to the cost of a dob, but it will make the dob just as able to track down targets as an SCT.
I think the most important consideration early on in this hobby is comfort. You should prioritise getting a scope that you are comfortable using, and which will get you out of the arm chair and out into the night air. For me, early on, an SCT achieved that purpose, and I became soundly converted to observing. Now I don't mind the discomfort of scrambling up a ladder and hauling around a large scope. I might not have been so keen now had it not been for my beloved SCT to begin with.
Hope that sheds some starlight....
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