Welcome to flyertalk! As a fellow Pennsylvania resident I will say there's a lot of great information to be had here. Although my best advise is going to be in the form of a question:
"What is your goal?"

Do you want to redeem miles for international travel in upper classes?
If so where? (that can really affect which flyer program to concentrate on)
Do you want to redeem miles for domestic flights?
Do you want to redeem points for free hotel rooms?
Are you after status for lounge stays?

I think regardless of your situation, you will get the most bang for your buck if you had a designated goal and then went for it.

-TK