Getting to 2 shields is usually the highest priority on any ship for me. That way 90% of the enemies wont be able to damage you in the first 2 sectors, which means you have all the time in the world to use slower/less effective weapons. Also means that you wont have to spend half of your scraps income for repairs. For the other 10% you can use the missile weapon.
Just went home on my lunch break and confirmed this works great! Thanks.