i was going to get the soldiery weapon for my WHM, but while i was getting the soldiery, there was talk in my fc about forming a static. now, while i love healing, we have 6 healers besides myself, rolling as dps as well, and we only had 1 reliable tank, so i built my PLD from scratch to help out. i think the time it takes to get atma is insane and is not very helpful for a main class to be concentrating on for their main weapon. i was still a lv 1 gladiator when i bought my 110sword/shield. i love both tanking and healing, as both present a challenge in most content. i am working on my relic as tank, but it is by no means going o be the weapon i use until i finish with novus, which wont be a while as i have over 700 fates under my belt, and only 2 atma to show for it.

my suggestion is getting your soldiery weapon as soon as you can, and still work on the relic in your free time. as for choosing a class, yes, pick the one that you like. if you pick a class you dont like, and you run with a group as said class, eventually you will get tired of it and not want to do anything with it at all. i am a very good monk, but i hate the class, i never run it anymore. but i will gladly roll as a BLM if someone needs dps. if you enjoy it, you will pay more attention and be better with it in general than if you dont.