Not so. As a newbie you don't have enough prestige for most of the things you mentioned. You can't change class, you can't be appointed lord, and you can't stand for election for govt office, until you reach a certain level of prestige, I think 10. And even if they hang in there long enough to get 10 prestige, it's still highly unlikely that they'd get appointed/elected to anything.
You said "as a knight" before, not "as a newbie". "As a knight" there are plenty of things to do, and if it's unlikely that you'd get elected or appointed to anything then you really don't have anyone to blame but yourself. You are not ingratiating yourself with the right people, you are not making the most of your BM experience; I was in the game for a week on my first ever character before I became vice-marshal of an army because I wrote a roleplay where I implied saving the marshal's life (he was wounded) in a battle against undead; sticking by that character got me a duchy eventually before I got busy with other things and wandered off. Join a religion, be active in your realm's politics, speak out against things your character hates or in favor of things your character likes; take chances, as a knight you have nothing to lose and an entire story to write.
As a newbie your options consist largely of doing civil work and learning where you stand in your realm and in any religion you might join; honestly just getting a handle on what the heck is going on is enough for the first week, considering how this game is paced. As a newbie you gain prestige and honor fairly rapidly, especially in combat. That's why wars are so important for new player retention, because it gives them a thing to do that gives quick H/P and helps them demonstrate reliability when their enthusiasm for the game is likely high. And they are an excellent opportunity to build engagement in new players because it's something that they can be included in right from the start.
