Well that's why I'm taking it slow and not just rushing into mining. I am doing research and looking at altcoins and their worth. I get that you can have a "holier than thou" attitude and perhaps it is justified because of how long you have been doing it. And you're right, I'm a noob.
As far as I can tell right now, there really is no precedence for the altcoins and how much they might be worth except for what has happened with bitcoin and litecoin. However, the difference now is that there are many, many more miners and many, many more currencies. Choosing the correct currency to mine and invest in, is what really has me the most wary. With new currencies seemingly popping up each day, it's clear that you have to be into mining for the long haul, and long haul being years. But again, it goes back to understanding which cryptocurrencies will survive and grow in value, and which will become worthless. At this point, I still haven't really figured it out.