To be honest, most of the combat I've done in this game has involved tanking. I just can't stay away from it for too long. In most of the content prior to extreme/savage content, the tank is the real initiative-driver of the party. Players (usually) let them take the front and their positioning tends to dictate the positioning of the rest of their party. They are charged with judging how much their party can handle.

In mid-early game you can get some plebs that will take pulling into their own hands without warning instead of throwing a suggestion your way (doesn't matter if you're learning the job or dungeon). At the top of the content you'll get a load of girly men swinging their handbags at eachother over how much DPS tanks can churn out. If you're with people that remember that they're playing to enjoy themselves, you're good. But those former-mentioned sorts can make you develop a sort of pre-queue anxiety which will only hurt your progress if you don't have thick skin.

That's right. You need to take the same personality towards queues as you do towards trash and bosses. Dive head first into danger. Tank personalities as well as mobs if necessary.

But seriously, don't start tanking at 30, even if you're a veteran of MMOs. You really need to get a feel for the potency of enmity-grabbing abilities and it is certainly best done while getting some of the necessary gladiator abilities. There are a ton of light-party dungeons where you won't need your provoke but if people find out you don't have it... boy that's embarrassing.