Joining a PVP corporation and being their butt monkey is another way to progress early on in EVE if you have no funds It's like joining an internet biking gang though soi be prepared to be told exactly what to do and go through some very tedious training.

Most people simply sell a PLEX to gain an initial stake of cash. There are lots of ways to earn ISK and the goal of many players is to 'play for free' by earning enough ISK in game to pay for their game time via PLEX.