-Is it profitable?

yes

-How hard is it to learn right now with AI in the mix?

Easier to learn than ever before

-Would it take too much of my time and efforts?

only you can decide

-Would it be worth the time and effort to learn it in 2025? Does it have a future?

noone knows

I know people go to college for thiis sort of thing, but I also know there's people who learn it just to make some bucks on the side,and they do

yes.

Any kind of money is surely great money right now,in my situation, and if im good at it I might make some digits out of it in the future.

Ok.

First off....... noone knows the future of programmers. AI hype is massive now, the tools have some impact but not as big as people are saying. It makes programmers 10-20% more productive, but doesn't replace them. At least not if they're any good.

There are a lot of programmer lay offs right now, but that's almost certainly due to the usual investment cycle in the tech field that's been happening for decades.

It's entry level jobs that are going to be hardest hit, because AI is like an entry level coder: it bangs out a load of stuff, but it needs someone experienced to fix it all up.

If you decide to go this route, you absolutely need to be integrated with AI (ie use it a tonne) and you need to get off the bottom rung ASAP.

If this feels like I've not answered your question, you're right. Only you can decide.

Try it. If it's for you, you'll be able to run with it. If you're just doing it to make a quick buck you'll give up quickly. Either way you'll have your answer.

If programming is what you WANT to do, then go do programming.

Anything that is worth its salt is going to take time and effort.

Anything can be profitable if you're good at it, if the demand for your skills is high enough, and you have a decent social network in that field.

College is worth it if you're going for a STEM degree. I recommend taking basic classes (English 101, Algebra, etc.) at a community college, then transfer to a business college to take the main courses (preferably online courses, not go to some leftist communist indoctrination bitch school).

You can do your teaching to keep the income while you get your degree. It can be done if you put in the effort. I was a full-time student and working a full-time job. My school network got me plenty of opportunities to break into the market.

Also, while in school, FIND A MENTOR. You want someone who is already in the field and can guide you through the ups and downs of going from student to employee.

I wish you the best of luck!

Yeah I can tell you: forget it. You are like 20 years to late. If you learn programming now in a world of LLMs you have no future. Not with 36. Sorry to tell you, but better find some work that people actually need and that can't be automated easily by software.