Section 1: Why PVP?

Why PVP in Eve...?  ( or more importantly, why PVP as soon as you possibly can )

Eve simply put is a massive game, set in a massive universe with a massive number of play styles;  from exploration, to mining, to shipping, to trading, to mission running, to planet management, to piracy, to thievery right down to industry and production.    There is no singular way to play Eve.

At the very start, PVP seems highly daunting;   you're in a game that's over ten years old,  with pilots who have a hundred times the skill points you have flying ships a hundred times (or more) more expensive than what you're able to afford (and effectively pilot) - it all seems a little much and god knows you don't want to risk that mission running ship you worked so hard to gain during the new player tutorial and career missions...

But...  PVP produces some of the very best content that Eve has to offer,  alongside the ability to work with your corp, form effective fleets and turn a bunch of week old pilots flying low level frigates, cruisers and destroyers into a highly effective fighting force capable of competing with pilots with many times more the skill points they have.

So...  let's start with some basic rules for PVP in Eve

1. You most definitely will lose ships,  so get used to it.   You're also going to lose your capsule,  so get used to that too.
   
2. Good news;  that doesn't end your game,  you respawn, you set up another ship and you're on your way once more.   If you're not losing ships,  you're probably playing a little too safe.
   
3. With #1 in mind,  do not fly what you can't afford to lose;   there is little point in flying a 200-300M ISK ship in your first few months as ultimately the opportunity cost of losing that ship is majorly high,  also just because you're able to get into a ship doesn't mean you have the skills to effectively pilot it,  so focus on ships that punch above their weight,  and can perform roles within fleets ( more on that later )
   
4. What objectively seems like a lot of ISK early in game will later become less so,  the 55M ISK Stealth Bomber becomes mere ammunition to expend against opponents,  the 200M Drone Boat becomes something you're willing to risk for the reward of defeating your opponents.
   
5. Find a Corp, Find Fleets and Learn from them:   Do what your Fleet Commander asks, and you'll soon transform a half million skill points and a 15M ship into a weapon that can be used to earn yourself some pretty nice kill mails.
   
6. ISK Efficiency is what PVP is about;  the goal in war is to make your opponent use more assets than you're losing;    risking ten 20M ISK ships to take down a 350M ship becomes a good calculation,  likewise,  risking a 350M ship to take down five to ten 20M ISK ships is not an engagement to consider.
   
7. PVP is all about learning;   have fun,  fleet up and go out knowing you're about to get your butt kicked...   that's perfectly fine,  but keep track of what they did,  how did they kill you,  what could you have done differently and better - research the ships that you see on the battlefield,  chances are most pilots are using the same fit over and over again,  this helps you to prepare on how to defend against it,  and also how to attack it.

PVP should not be daunting, do not wait months upon months to go to nullsec,  especially if you're in a corp that can assist in fleets, fits and knowledge.    The sooner you start to learn, the sooner you transform from a novice pilot to someone punching well above their skill point weight.

With this in mind,  two disciplined alpha clone newbies working well together in non expensive vessels will often defeat a seasoned omega pilot in a much higher level ship,  once you understand the basics of when to engage, how to engage and how to sustain in fleet fights.