After having played EVE for a little over a year and a half I stopped, mostly because of real life commitments. One thing I can say about EVE is that it has a very steep learning curve. It is a game about commitment. Not simply ingame time commitment, but commitment towards a goal and learning all there is to the game. The more you put into the game the more you can take out. Best advice for new players, find someone to help you, or at least play along side with you. The game can feel as lonely as real space would, dark, quiet, and emptiness to fly around in. Or it can be filled with just about anything you can imagine. There is no driving force behind EVE. You can mine, fight, trade, travel, build, sell, buy, salvage, invent, and much more. EVE does not limit you towards one path, you can do a little of everything or simply all of one. If you like small groups there are plenty of those, but if your aims are towards total domination, there is plenty for that as well.
If you can find someone to help you start off with what skills to train first depending on what you want to do, you can save valuable time as well as make friends. EVE is not to be played alone in my opinion, though it can be. The more people you fly with the more fun you will have. Go through the tutorials, learn the basics, then start talking to people. There are plenty of people willing to help and even corporations dedicated to helping new players. Just be cautious as with any game there are the good and bad in people. Be aware of scammers, and pick your friends wisely.
Most of all, enjoy the view.