As above, its quite a task to find a corp that suits your play style and also harder to find a corp that you feel comfortable in, alot of corps offer this that and the other but once you join you find its either all or nothing. So this got me to thinking do i need a corp to survive in eve?
who actually is a 100% solo corp and likes that scenario…
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I am in a solo corp. I like the playstyle because I am one helluva boring person, prone to mining for hours and not doing a lot of in-game chat.
I would like more flexible arrangements for co-operating with other corporations/players.
For example, being able to help a citadel owner with running a citadel, like pay for Service modules to be installed and the running costs of it, if space for one is available. Or pay for installing an Agent in a player citadel, when that becomes possible.
On the philosophical side, as we see US law establishing corporations as people, then perhaps the EVE parallal isn’t too far fetched a future where everyone is a corporation or belongs to someone else’s.
A far cry from being Rebels in a cruel gritty space, we are all corporate clones. 
I guess having your own corporation is also a bit like having your own piece of EVE. You get to design a little piece of art and have some corporate lockers to chuck your dirty socks in after your 12 hour shift at your casual corporate job.
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Depends on how you want to look at it. Mechanics, you are always in a corp whether NPC or player, so in that sense, yes. To “survive”, no, you don’t need a corp. You can log in, travel from points A to B without issue without any more or less risk of dying. Being part of a corp can, through clout, get you access to parts of space that you wouldn’t otherwise have access to, or access to parts of space that are otherwise too cumbersome to solo. I don’t like that as a reason to be in a corp though… it’s too greedy and misses out on what makes a corp good or not. The real benefit to a corp is that you can be part of something. A good corp will have certain things that give it a sense of identity, and that can completely change your experience of the game. Committing to a corp, its goals (even if they don’t fully match your own goals), and to the mutual success of your corpies is really the primary thing that imbues meaning into the game. It’s the most reliable factor in predicting how long a player will continue to play the game, and thus in a sense, “surviving.”
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Corporations provide a social environment for players where they can be themselves. They also provide a way out of the NPC corporations, which have about the same appeal as standing in a line at the super market.
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I would say that this completely depends on what you want to do and how you go about building your community to suit yourself.
I’m in a player corp, and we collaborate on many things, but also have a large amount of autonomy to do whatever we want whenever we want. I like that, and I have the benefit of things like a lower tax rate, a pool of communal BPs, etc.
However, one of my best friends in the game has never left a NPC corp and he has a blast. Because he’s done a great job of connecting with people, he has a lot of support and friends, and there are almost always people around he can fly with. He and I exchange items, help each other out, fleet together, run errands for each other, and other than not having a shared hangar, we collaborate just as if we were in the same corp. He pays higher taxes, but doesn’t have to deal with things like wardecs.
So, a lot of it depends on you, how you like to play, how much you want to connect with people, and what kind of structure you are looking for.
But, in answer to your main question, no, you do not need to join a player corp to thrive- but if you don’t, you will of course be in a NPC corp unless you create your own.
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Depends on your desired playstyle, some things are easier in a player corp, some things are more difficult. You will find out after spending time in game and trying different things out.
I chose to be the ‚lone wolf‘ with friends. Mainly because I do not want to use alt chars, or otherwise depend on others to do, what I like, or others depend on me. There are enough obligations in RL, I don‘t feel extending that to a game.
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To get into the fun stuff I would say yes, but I normally keep out of voice comms unless there are fleets or action as the SJW types and their identity stuff and smug stupid arrogance gets on my nerves. If I hear too much of their rubbish I will get fed up and leave and there are some great content creators there.
I did have a solo corp for some time, operating in NPC null and hisec and as I have several accounts I could do a fair amount, but to get the real feel for Eve being with others is better.
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To echo what others have said, it depends on what you want to do and where you want to do it.
Personally, I enjoy nullsov. I enjoy most of what comes with it. The big brawls (wish they happened more often, but when they do they’re good), the easy isk, etc.
Can’t do that solo. Can’t even do that in a small corp, unless you’re gonna become a renter… even then, you’ve no way to assert yourself in nullsov if someone decides to come take a ■■■■ in your cornflakes.
Of course, there are a myrid of other activities in Eve, each with its own “you’re better off…” caveats.
So, what is your playstyle? I’d assume from your name you’re into wormholes; that can absolutely be a solo venture, so long as you keep the bulk of your assets somewhere more secure (remember, as soon as it enters the hole, it’s already dead).
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I was worried about getting into voice communications in case there were a lot of immature people, but from the way you describe it, it sounds like they actually do a good job of driving out the toxic players.
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All the voice coms Ive been on has been much higher quality than other games. But there have been nights it was like Fraiser meets Halo in my ears.
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Define toxic?
I only talk about Eve and try to keep out of RL stuff unless people really push, I wish they would do the same, that is toxic to me. Methinks you are a SJW, the arrogant part is rather evident… So what you are saying is that it is right to sprout RL stuff that could drive out people who don’t agree with them, that is toxic, and you sir are toxic.
In fact that was the main reason I decided to operate mainly in a solo corp for the previous two to three years prior to joining this one. The advantage is that I know the CEO quite well. The advice I would suggest to people is to get in, hold your tongue, wait to find out what it is like and if it does not suit you culturely or meet what you need or expect in game then move, don’t go all in and move all your stuff in, move just what you immediately need, find something that suits you, then go for it.
All in all I am pretty happy with the corp I am in now in terms of Eve, they are immensely competent in terms of PvP and indy and the IT backbone behind operating an Eve alliance.
PS As a footnote I don’t actually agree with their attitude towards Provi, but being a loyal grunt I turn out even for fights against people I wish I was not fighting, and the last fight we had with Provi was a lot of fun and even some of the more aggressive ones praised Provi for taking the fight…
Chill, bro. Everyone has preferences for the types of people they are willing to hang out with, and as far as those go, “I do not want to hang out with immature people in comms” is perfectly reasonable, just as your preference for people who check real life at the door and don’t bring it into Eve. No need to start pointing fingers and accusing toxicity.
Edit: hang on, I just realized that @Abaris_Fagimasad pulled off a subtle burn there. Well played.
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To the OP’s question: Eve is a very punishing, very difficult game, and the main mechanic to cope with that is working with other people. That is by design. You can get pretty far on your own, but risks/costs can climb to unmanageable levels that way. Being part of an organized group with support structure, better resources, etc can really help make everything easier.
Note that I did not mention corps or alliances at all. Those are just game mechanics. You can be part of a group that organizes simply via a chatroom, a mailing list, or even just a regularly-meeting fleet, if those meet your needs. That said, certain things in Eve require a corp or alliance. Setting up a citadel requires a corp. Owning nullsec space requires an alliance. You can technically have a 1-person corp or even a 1-person alliance that gives you access to these, if you have no interest in working with others, but you would be playing at a severe disadvantage compared to those who work together. Defending a citadel as a single person is incredibly hard, and owning nullsec space is all but impossible to do solo.
Tl;dr: do you need a corp? Not technically, no. But being part of a group expands the variety of what you can do in game.
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That was not subtle, it was toxic 
But then again my mention of SJW’s was hardly subtle either, so I will hold my hands up for that, though that is because one of the SJW’s went for it today with something a bit obnoxious, so I guess I was triggered, lol.
How do I put this without causing a panic … salty tears are more toxic than either of you. You both are merely sensitive, but not toxic.
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Most of the time I ignore it, but sometimes, I just go ugh… and today was an Ugh day…, when you think sod this and contemplate leaving a great corp because someone keeps saying the same stupid stuff it is annoying and I let my irritation get the better of me. The right culture is important too. Sorry. for my vent and slight rant 
PS I went into a site with my VNI, found an MTU and 5 Praetor II’s from an alliance mate who had logged, so I scooped the drones before the rats could kill them, finished the site and then contracted his drones back to him. That is chill 
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Being a member of a player corporation can be fun if you are fortunate enough to meet “your people”. I prefer having my own corporation primarily to avoid drama and drudgery. Living in null sec for 14 years, blue to very few but known to many as a reliable ally and trustworthy fellow on the good days and a target on those boring days or when your friends are in a neutral fleet bent on killing you…
That’s the best part about living in backwater areas of null sec, those around you are pursuing what makes them happy, largely solo as well and you can interact on a more basic level with each other. Don’t bother the guy when he is trying to do his P.I., he’ll come out to play when he is ready. We cooperate and reciprocate with each other to further our shared goals of enjoyment and relaxation, loosely and without stress or hard feelings. I can’t even imagine living in high sec, everytime I go there I need a few days away from the game just to detox.
UBU, you will find your niche and if you’re lucky, your people.
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“Stay Frosty” might be what you are looking for. Lone wolfs that only form a pack when they hunt for bigger prey. At least that’s what I heard about them. Always liked the idea.
And to answer the question in the title: No. I flew half my career in EVE as a solo pilot.
Yeah you can get along fine solo ,
A big heap of the pve can be solo’d with the right ship/fit.
PvP is a different story,
player skill prerequisites go up pretty dramatically from the normal “I can eve I swear” level of play,
largely because you get battered by gangs of lads unless you’re on your game and planned for it.
That said I the only reason I’m still here is because of the mates I’ve made, and the enemies we’ve made.
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I’d say that you’ll learn Eve a lot faster if you’re in a corp. When you log in, there’s usually a discussion going on about Eve (what else). Usually there’s a least one player who’s more fired-up/hardcore about Eve than you are. At least a couple of guys have probably bothered to read the latest dev blog, and are discussing. Or somebody tried out something new, and is discussing it. So you passively get a lot of information all of the many details and possibilities of Eve.
On the other hand, if you’re in a solo corp (like I am currently), there’s the risk that you’ll get into a repetitive pattern of just doing whatever it is you do. That can get old and stale after a while, because you’re probably not even thinking of or aware of what else is happening out there in the cluster.
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