How does someone (like me) who believes in Bitcoin and all the power/potential it has, get started into the industry?
I believe your premise is off. I believe it is a great investment if you are not looking to cash out next week.
Yes, I agree.
And the people that say mining isn't profitable have never owned their own business. Yes it takes time and you'll probably be in the red for a few months, but that's WAY better than most "real" businesses.
Also, you probably have 2 BTC worth of crap sitting around your house you could sell on
https://cryptothrift.com/.