Recently started, having decision paralysis with what job to target

[Raldo]

It's not hard to level anything and everything, so I wouldn't really fret over it that much. You'll probably level every job you're interested in eventually anyway.

Where's the healing?
Healing is for healers. PLD does get a single healing spell, but you won't use it much unless things are going bad.

Are there any widespread defensive boons besides Protect and Troubadour?
Most buffs are offensive, but... Healers commonly get AOE regens/heals/shields, but aside from that Paladin and Warrior both get an AOE shield move (PLD Divine Veil, Lv56; WAR Shake it Off, Lv68). Summoner does technically get a minor one (Devotion, Lv64) that decreases damage taken by 2% whilst increasing damage dealt by 2%, but I've never actually heard of anyone caring about the defensive part of that ability. If you don't care if the ability is AOE, then there are a few more on offer (since you mentioned Bard, I would suggest looking up Palisade; it's great).

What level does one normally get a class/job to to get a sense of their way of fighting, their essence?
It can vary from job to job, but most jobs get their core mechanic at 30. Bard gets their DoT-crits-let-me-do-extra-stuff thing at 30. Tanks get their defensive stance at 30. Dragoon does get their first Jump at 30, but the job actually changes more later on.


I never played WoW, but if you're looking for a job that throws buffs on other people, you should probably check out Astrologian (but you can't access the job until you've cleared the lv50 part of the main story). With that said, AST is a healer. FFXIV definitely lacks the concept of a class mainly dedicated to support.