I have a monk and a shaman at low mid levels.
If you are talking low levels a monk is much easier to solo even with crap gear (what I had). It's pretty easy to save up some cash for fighting batons and cured silk (or wus) and camp for a Iksar berserkers club (my god that is a long and boring camp tho).
They do have radically different roles in groups so keep that in mind. As a monk you will be expected to pull and you'll have to learn how to feign split (which I find fun). It's not as laid back as some classes.
The shaman have a lot of options with spells, are more complex and I feel much more helpful to others playing a shaman. Buffing up lower level people is always fun.
They're are a lot of both running around, but I actually think I have an easier time getting a group as a monk because you really only need one healer (and cleric is best) and more than one dps.
You may want to make more than one class, play it to 10 and decide then. Warning, you may end up like I have - not being able to make a definite decision
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