Don't choose if this is the first time playing, to start a hardcore character with poe currency. While you won't lose your personality like you would in other games that use permadeath, you would need to begin a new personality if you want to continue in that league. Take your time to find out the game in the Standard league or the Challenge league.
Your skill point can enter one of two little boosts and from there as you advance you can venture through the skills. Though it is going to take more time to get there as you would expect starting places for different characters are for you either. By then you should get a better idea of what you want to do with your character, too.
For many new gamers, it will be beneficial to go straight to the game and experimentation. While you might find yourself creating new characters if one doesn't work out, over time you will find the personal satisfaction from studying Path of Exile's mechanics. This way you can experiment with various techniques to play the sport through different weapons and skill gems.
For many others, all this may be too daunting, and you may learn better from following someone else's construct while you enjoy the game for the very first time. They comprise the skill tree at increments and are based on a style of play or a specific gem. They are made with end game content in your mind, therefore with progressing through the game during the acts you will not typically have issues.
You've got access to five flasks in Path of Exile: Fall of Oriath that may be substituted while progressing through the match. You have ones for life and mana that will help you if you are near death or do not have sufficient mana to buy poe chaos orbs to utilize your abilities. Additionally, there are other variants you can grab such as the Quicksilver flask, which increases your movement rate.