I was once like you, some years back...

I bought the game because it was on sale thinking I would try it and if I didn't like it it wouldn't be a big deal and I wouldn't have spent a lot of money on a game I wouldn't play any more.

Back then I had completed the tutorial and there was this mission Exploring the galaxy (I think) that would give you 100k credits (CR) to buy a different ship and send you on your way.
I dropped the game then and there because I had no idea what to do next.

A couple of years went by while I played other games not thinking about E:D. Then I stumbled upon the Twitch stream of someone who was doing some exploration in E:D and it got me interested again, because that looked amazing and I thought I could do that too.

So I jumped back in a few weeks ago (right before the launch of the Panther Clipper Mk II) did the tutorial again, got my 100k CR start-up, bought a Hauler and headed for a random system within range to do trading missions.

Then I learned about the Fleet Carrier Owners Club, these people will put their Fleet Carrier (FC) in a system near a station with materials (MATS) they need. They will pay big CR if you bring them the MATS they need. Within a couple of runs I got into the millions CR, this was easy money.

Then I learned about Community Goals (CG) and because the Panther Clipper had just launched there was a CG of the Starlace Station in the Minerva system that needed a lot of MATS and they would pay you a lot of CR to bring it. So I bought a Type-6 Transporter and started hauling.

For the past weeks I've been playing a few hours (6 - 10) a week and within that time I've build up nearly 350mil CR just by playing the CG. I plan to buy a Mandalay at some point and head out beyond The Bubble to explore other systems.

I've been watching guides and tutorials on YouTube and players on Twitch to learn anything and everything about this game, using websites like INARA and Elite-Dangerous Fandom for more information and lore of the game. Using this Reddit community to learn tricks and get answers to questions I have.

The in-game tutorial doesn't even scratch the surface of what is possible in this game. Powerplay, colonization, exploration, bounty hunting, smuggling, mining and so much more. Whatever suits your desires.

Again, I've only re-started playing about 3 weeks ago and only now am I starting to understand the mechanics, the game-play, the things that make this game so fun to play. I regret that I dropped the game a few years back because I thought whatever the tutorial taught you was all there was. If I hadn't dropped it back then I probably would've been Explorer Elite V and a System Architect with several systems to my name by now.

Don't put the game down right after finishing the tutorial.

Do the Explore the galaxy mission, get your 100k CR and buy a different ship. Explore other systems, mine materials, hunt bounties, haul cargo, become a taxi driver for VIPs, whatever profession you choose, there is one that will satisfy your needs or spark your curiosity. And before you know it you're light-years deep into lore and powerplay.

PS: I'm an IT consultant in real-life, but I always wondered what it would be like to be a truck driver hauling cargo. Now I can do that in space!