There are magic rods/wands/staves, but they're not plentiful. They can be made through the crafting system if one is sufficiently skilled. This is a low-magic world, unlike the Forgotten Realms setting, so don't expect to see much in the way of super-powerful items.
Spell components are in because it gives a slightly more PnP feel to the game. Not all spells have components. Perhaps someone else can comment upon why some spells do and others do not. I know from PnP, not all spells required material components, so this may be part of it. Again, this is a low-magic world, so spell components help to keep that in check.
As for "how do we get by?"....well, we gather/buy and carry these things around with us. Most spell components are stackable, so they take up less physical room in your inventory, though they still have weight. It's not so bad, once you get used to it, and it forces mages to think a little about how they use their spells. Also, there's a custom feat here called "Eschew Materials" or something like that. There's 3 levels of that feat. The first removes the requirement of spell components for spells that are levels 1-3, the second removes material components from spell levels 4-6 and the third removes them from spell levels 7-9. Once you can cast 3rd, 6th and 9th level spells (respectively) you can take the corresponding feat.
Seriously, don't worry about this one too much. It's really not that burdensome. Consider it a bit like food and water...don't go adventuring too much without stocking up on supplies.
As for other advice for new mages, party up with stronger players....those who can defend you while you gain strength. Stay in the back; use ranged weapons....no heroics. And conserve your spellpower, because you never quite know when you'll really need it...or when the next time you'll be able to rest might be, etc.
