New to the fourms

So i recently joined up to look into if its possible to jump into the mining game right now. Looking back through the years, 2009-2010 would have been great years to jump into it, but i figure better late than never. People are making money off of the mining, trade, and the creation & distribution of mining equipment. I just want to be one of those guys. now I'm new to forums but not really to the concept of Bitcoins, I have a friend who has been with it for a little while, but I was a nay say'er. so my questions to all of you who are even slightly experienced are:
Is it too late to jump into mining?
How much would need to be spent to see a nice ROI after about 4 months?
What are some good companies to buy equipment from?
And lastly What are some good mining pools to mine with?

Thanks for your time - SWAMP