Play a shaman. A shaman can solo to 60, but are just as welcome in groups for their buffs, debuffs and overall utility. You can play one "like a caster" and load up on mana/wis for root rotting, or you can be a battle shaman and load up on hit points with some decent AC and actually stay in melee for quite some time. Even before Kunark I had an Ogre shaman that was meleeing Spectre's in Feerot to get to 50, but could have easily joined any lower guk group at any time. Don't think just because a shaman is a priest it's anywhere near the playstyle of a Cleric. You will be a backup healer at best at higher levels (until you get ahold of torpor), but your slows end up being so much more mana efficient than healing anyways. You also add decent DPS with your dog and DoTs, not to mention you can even be an off tank in most exp groups during bad pulls.
Also, if you're having trouble taking a class past level 11 then I wouldn't be worried about being wanted in raids. Honestly, the commitment to even hit the level to enter the raid scene is really high if you aren't twinked or have friend to power level you. I'd worry about that when the time comes, for now just play what you enjoy. Personally I've always felt shaman made better "battle mages" than any of the hybrids. Hybrids end up being "mostly melee with some spells thrown in", while Shamen can debuff a mob and dot it up enough to stand there and take the beating while wearing the mob down. I find that a much more rewarding and fun playstyle.
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