I'm too late? Isn't coin mining something that is actively going on as a hobby and industry? From what I have read, it only costs a few grand to get into this and there seem to be LOTS of small players in this so am not sure why someone would be too late.

I can throw 5KW (and more) 24/7 into this if there is a value in it. I am generating my own power with a 10KW solar install that was being used to offset the cost of running the server room. That is why I have power to throw into something interesting.

What I am wanting to learn from this post is which type of mining is still worth doing, how can I start on a small scale, so I can learn more about it, adding resources as it makes sense. I have the power right now, I have a large amount of hardware left over from another venture but it seems CPUs aren't worth much so am looking for input on what might be worth trying/doing.

Thanks.

PS: This is an interesting article.
http://coinbrief.net/bitcoin-mining-worth-it/