Joining the Crypto Hype

Can somebody please explain,in Laymans Terms,if it is really viable to invest in cryptocurrency and how much or little one can invest to start profiting from the investment and also how long it takes to start reaping results. Is Bitcoin the b all and end all right now or should we be looking at other currencies ,and if so which currencies. As a newbie to this cryptocurrency hype ,I find many web sites out there ,some informative and also some with "to good to be true "offerings. Its seems ,speaking for myself here ,that it is very easy to be influenced and sucked into the fake world of currency trading.I need to invest to profit..not to be just another victim of fraud. Many Thanks