Seeing that he has already played EQ, FFXI should be something you can play with, but remember races DO matter, sure you can make some stuff up with gear, but eventually a WHM that is a Taru will always be better as a WHM than an Galka with the same stuff stat-wise. Some combinations are better than others. Just remember this:

"All Jobs combinations are Equal, but some are more Equal than others"

Not to say that you shouldnt try this odd combination, but there are proven race/combos that work better than others time after time.