Becoming a witch is pretty easy, You only have to have the open mindedness to and the willingness to explore your self and your universe. Being a witch is not a status symbol it is the ability to be able to choose what and whom you want to believe in with out reticule by your fellow pagan/wiccan peers. In recent times it may seem that there are a few individuals out there that will persecute you if you don't follow there path ,but it is rare and far between.
The for most thing I recommend that you first should stay solitary, never try and join a coven when you are first exploring the path of an alternate spiritual experience, and this is why. Typically humans in general will naturally follow a group that they hold in respect so that they can feel like one within in the group (followers). This tendency that we all have will cause you to acclimate to your peers beliefs instead of exploring and deciding on your own beliefs. This is what traditional religion has done to it's members, usually at very young ages causing the youths to follow with the least amount of self discovery or resistance.
you do not want to do this to your self as you are a new comer to the religion of pagan/wicca. You want to explore as much as possible before being bombarded by others ideas.
I'm not saying that covens are bad, quite the apostate they are good for finding people that believe in similar ideas and beliefs as your self. But if you don't know what your beliefs, how are you supposed to find the right coven for you? That is why I suggest avoiding the covens at first and becoming a solitary, so you can find what you believe and not what others want you to believe. If you don't want to think for your selves then you should stick with the traditional religions because they already have a structure and dogmatic practices set up for you so you can just fall right in and become a carbon copy of that group.
I hope that you will search out and find your own path, discovering your true selves inside your mind and heart. Choosing to become a witch is not a fade or a status symbol it signifies your strength and desire to be different and not follow everybody else. The ability to make your own decisions and believe your own beliefs, don't be discouraged if you can't find material that makes sense to you, keep searching and it will find you. A good source of material can also be found at www.mysticsmusings.com you can search it in google if you are unable to get the link to work or cut and paste in your browser bar. This site offers a complete boosk of shadows as well as events.
Good luck in your search for your higher self, and blessed be