I have never played FFXI, nor any other MMO RPG game in all my days. If i am to get into the beta, what should I be aiming to do in XIV, and what are the main draw factors for it above FFXI?

In my mind, I would probably start out as a white mage. How will this affect being in like the ranks of warriors or red mages?

Just a few random questions I have, I would be pretty interested to give it a shot.