I have the same experience when I was a beginner. I bought an altcoin because I thought it could provide a good profit in time but I made the wrong decision. It has no value now. It thought me a lesson that I should choose a coin with good potential. I'm now choosing a well-established coin such as bitcoin and ethereum.
for beginners, actually don't be too brave to take risks to invest. the best way to choose is to choose some altcoins that are potentially good and far from death.