Earlier quoted context omitted.
I would never say that EVE doesn't reward playing at any level. I'm just wired to do things bigger - and I have a hard time playing at a lower level in most anything. I would recommend getting into a good corp/alliance though - there's nothing that improves gameplay more than that.
Ok. I have an account with a month playtime from years ago. I want to join back up and get into a good corp. How do I find such a corp? I want to go play in fun battles and null sec.
Small corps are hard if you don't know them beforehand. It's easier to find a handful of really cool people you get along with in a bigger group.