Aye you could do far worse than join one of the 'training corps' - they will be setup to help new players get a good start.
In the long run its not so much 'the best corp' as 'the best corp for you'. Large / small, Industrial / combat, 'safe' spa…
To a degree it depends what you mean by compete...
If you think you should be able to jump into a battleship on day 2 and take on players who have been playing the game for 2 years then the answer is no. If you mean, can you take part in the game…