If you want to fly solo and do PVP, then piracy is the way to go. As much as I hate them, I recognize the importance of pirates to the game. The are the black to my white, so to speak. I mean, without the Sith, would the Jedi be as cool?
There is an allure to being the bad guy, too. When I did pen and paper role playing, I was usually the Dungeon Master so I got to play the villain most of the time. Depending on your personality you can really chew some scenery in RP-ing ne'er-do-wells.
Something to consider about going it alone though: the most effective pirates hunt in groups. There are no shortage of pirate corps, just check the recruitment forum on the Eve-O web site and you'll find plenty.
And finally, if you'd like PVP with a moral compass, however, you might look for an anti-pirate corp. Not to turn this into a recruitment ad, but my combat pilots get daily PVP experience going after the scum of the universe.