Don't try to do too much, too soon. Grow a full beard, or as close as you can get, and see what you've got to work with. Then you can decide to trim or sculpt it into some fancy shape if you want.
Learn how to keep your neckline trim and then take it from there.
I do what feels right which usually consists of the least amount of work that also doesn't make me itchy. So I generally just don't shave at all until it gets too long then I scrape it all off and start again. I shave about once every couple weeks. Because I'm lazy and work from home and it doesn't matter what my beard looks like.