Wanted to start as an explorer on ps4, outfitted my ship with a scanner and... no luck, no new data, I guess since powerplay is in play there's no point in trying to scan anything within its confines, but then again, how am I to get any money as an explorer if my ship can't make the jumps necessary to leave those system... ehhh...
Guess I'll go with the good ol' bounty hunter in some low threat areas.
As a new player, exploration data is good money, even if you're not the first to discover something. But there's no denying that bounty hunting (at nav beacons for beginners is really good) is the fast money.