FallenK,
I agree with your point, but I was also considering your 2nd acct/recon char as being able to verify the surrounding systems safely, checking local, looking for defending POSes to avoid, cloaking near the entry gate to determine what people are flying when they enter the system, etc.
Maligx,
do the training missions, especially the scanning missions. If you already have friends you can get in their corp and they will train you up. If not, I recommend to train a caldari w/shields and missiles, and get yourself into a Drake as soon as possible, working your way into a Raven eventually--missioning in Amarr space would be preferred b/c the Guristas jam like crazy. I would get +3 implants to increase the pace of your learning--, and if you need cash and are not averse to spending a little real money, a plex or two will help the process.
There is a lot of good advice in this thread, btw, consider reading the whole thing if you have the time, as space in Eve is cold, dark and unforgiving place, so it's worth it to do some research.
I'm mostly into the PVE/missioning/hi-sec side of the game vs some posters here that are more into PvP, but to be honest, this group of seems to be mostly inactive at this time. I missed the curve, and have only been playing since March, but I don't have a lot of time to play due to work/etc.
download and read this entirely:
http://www.isktheguide.com/
ship builds:
http://eve.battleclinic.com/
mission guide: (if you go this route)
http://eve-survival.org/wikka.php?wakka=missionreports --this is critical, read the reports, I lost a Paladin b/c i got lazy on L4 "Attack of the Drones" and started shooting everything...
mission info:
http://wiki.eveuniversity.org/Missions ( there is a ton of good info on this site, just search it w/google )
http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/06/28/eve-evolved-mission-running-the-basics/
http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/07/12/eve-evolved-mission-running-top-five-tips/
http://massively.joystiq.com/editor/brendan-drain (he has written a ton of good stuff on how to play the game)
g/l