Allow me to set the scene. You've installed EVE Online; you're on a 14 Day Trial or perhaps you actually own the game and decided to start afresh. Maybe you have dabbled in other aspects of EVE, but you haven't touched any of that "mission stuff". Well, then this article was written for you. It is by no means a definitive guide, but will hopefully provide you some insight into how mission running can benefit your character and your corporation and how to find an agent to get started.
Fresh, brand new and in some ways, overwhelmed by the enormity of the EVE Universe, all us newbies will encounter such problem regarding as How do you start off, What do we do? The in-game tutorial guides you through the basic principles of EVE and gifts you rudimentary control over the game interface but it doesn't tell you what to do afterwards. You may be left with a distinct sense that you lack an overbearing aim or a goal. There is no clear cut path, no levels to grind through. You are literally booted into the deep without apology or comment. Welcome to EVE Online.
The point of this callous 'dumping' is to give you the freedom to choose what to do. EVE is a game which requires you, the player, to have a goal and to set yourself tasks and objectives. So, this article is obviously assuming that you've grabbed a cup of coffee, tea, or in fact any other beverage, sat down and had a long hard think about where you want to head with your character and that you have thought about running missions as a means to grow your own ISK crop. So, the question is - why mission running? Why not mining? Why not manufacturing? What kind of missions? These are important questions, affected by multiple variables.