The profitability of mining cryptocurrencies
As you know, mining costs a lot of money in equipment and electricity. You can't be absolutely sure that it will be profitable for you, and it's best to think twice before you get started. Those who can succeed are individuals who have an important source of natural energy they produce themselves (solar, wind, geothermal, hydropower), but very few individuals are concerned. In any case, it is strongly advised not to start now in the mining of Bitcoin or Ethereum if you are individual, because their value is already very high. Instead, we must rely on cryptocurrencies promising but which have not yet taken off. Generally, discussions are held within communities to identify which crypto is worthwhile at the moment.
Finally, mining cryptos appears to be a risky venture, even when joining a community. It requires a huge investment in computer equipment and electricity to generate more than a few euro/dollar cents, and the return on investment is not assured. If you try your luck, it's better to target cryptos that are still unknown and have the potential to grow. If you believe that the value of a crypto can increase, it may be better to buy it directly than to mine it if you are an individual. Currently, profits are generated by very large networks or companies that have specialized in mining, with initial investments of up to hundreds of thousands or millions of euros/dollars.
Less risky alternatives: others mine for you
Note that other solutions exist. Energy rental or calculation rentals are types of subscriptions taken from mining factories. Subscribers' money is used to invest to improve the cost/benefit ratio by reducing electricity consumption or increasing the rate of mining. Productivity increases and you get more revenue back, while the cost of your subscription remains unchanged for the duration of the contract. Cryptomonos offers these services.
Another interesting initiative is that of Unity Ingot, which is a sort of wallet of cryptocurrencies. When you buy Unity Ingot, your funds are used to finance the mining of several promising cryptocurrencies. Part of it is also used for the purchase of Bitcoins, considered to be a trusted crypto. If the value of the cryptocurrencies mined increases, the value of the Unity Ingot also rises. It can be a good solution because you don't have to worry about anything and the investment is dispatched between several cryptocurrencies to limit the risks: if one fall, the others can compensate. If you think that the general cryptocurrency ecosystem is strong, Unity Ingot seems interesting.