Should I pursue mining for a steady source of income, or would it be more beneficial to directly purchase coins with an eye on long-term potential?
I say keep it simple as just invest in bitcoin directly instead of going for mining. Thing is, mining is not just you plugging in asics and collecting satoshies but instead it is a constant responisbility, especially at the start when you are still figuring things out.
Add on that the fact that equipment can die, price of electricity can go up or there might some other unforeseen circumstances which makes buying bitcoin even more logical.