I'm asking because I've seen a lot of predictions suggesting that it might hit $100,000 some time this decade and was hoping to try to gauge how realistic people think these sort of predictions might be?
There are quite a lot of things you're going to see on the internet about Bitcoin, many of which aren't true and reliable, plus shouldn't be a reason to join/not join the network. I don't know if the predictions we see are plausible, but if you're going to invest in this network, I want to update you with this rule of thumb: "invest only what you can afford to lose", what that means is do not go on to invest in Bitcoin with all your funds cause people have predicted it getting to over $100,000.
Bitcoin is a speculative market, and this predictions are meant to be seen, many users who have taken this sort of predictions to heart and invested of it are the ones always shaken by FUD when there's a plunge, no matter how little. Take your time to understand btc price movements/history and more about the network, that way you'll be able to make decisions yourself without having to look to the internet.
Thank you for the sensible advice. I understand that there's some big risks, if I'm honest with myself I realise that at the moment I'm planning on taking a bigger gamble here than most would be comfortable with but I feel that it will be a calculated gamble. It may seem irrelevant but I play a lot of poker so I'm used to getting hurt but winning in the long run and only really gamble if I feel confident enough that the odds are in my favour. If I somehow lose it all, it will be a big setback in my life and it will probably hurt but I have a decent enough career and will be able to rebuild. I know that I need to do a lot more research over the coming months and be prepared to change my strategy if what I learn dictates me to do so. I'm really not expecting it to get to $100,000 anytime soon but if it does get to $30,000 or $40,000 in the next 2 or 3 years I will be happy. I feel that this endeavour will also encourage me to work harder and save harder which will naturally improve my life prospects as long as it doesn't somehow all come crumbling down into a worst case scenario. I do appreciate your advice and will try to find ways to make sure that I don't take too many unnecessary risks. Thanks again!