...Should you get into mining?

A: Yes, if you are reading this forum and have any level of interest in BTC, you should devote at least some time and effort into mining virtual currencies.. If new hardware investment is out of the question, check into Litecoin as mentioned above. Even with no experience, there is sufficient online support, faqs and walkthroughs here and elsewhere to get you up and running in days.

There will only be one or two major virtual currency gold rushes - it might be with BTC, or something else, but either way, don't be that guy who looks back in 10 or 15 years when you are still poor and celibate while the rest of us are Scrooge McDucking it.