What do I do after starting?

So I did the tutorial, got the free Sidewinder, and have been running courier missions because those are easy. I visited LHS 3615, which was a bit overwhelming as all the missions there were very high level and I just started the game.

I took a courier mission but ended up with a warning while traveling "entering conflict zone" when the Sidewinder feels very bulk and doesn't turn well.

I have 200K credits and am heading back to Matet, the start location as I have ended up hopelessly lost bouncing between systems with no populations.

The game feels so huge and overwhelming and I don't know where to start. What do you guys recommend? Ideally I want to get a multi-purpose ship that lets me explore, carry decent amounts of cargo and do combat, but I don't even know the ships available in the game and that's a long term goal and I have no idea how to get credits that fast. Any advice would be appreciated.

Send help pls