How long before I'm ready for my first competition?

Sooner than you think: most coaches say three to six months of classes, once you can bout safely with control, know the basic rules, and can put on your own gear, you're ready for a local novice event. You do not need to be 'good.' First tournaments are where you find out what good even means.

The readiness checklist that matters: you've bouted in practice (not just drilled), you know how a pool works (five-touch bouts, everyone fences everyone), you own or can borrow legal gear including an electric weapon and body cords, and you have a USA Fencing membership (competitive events require it; noncompetitive memberships upgrade easily).

Pick the right first event: look for 'novice', 'E-and-under', 'unrated', or youth age-bracket events on askFRED, these exist precisely so new fencers compete against each other, not against twenty-year veterans. Your division's local circuit is full of them.

Expectations for day one: you will probably lose most pool bouts, get one victory you'll remember forever, be eliminated in an early direct-elimination round, and come home already planning the next one. That's the standard first-tournament story, and it's the fastest month of improvement in any fencer's career.