Most crypto mining is ASICII that is truly effective. CPU mining is more hobbyist in my view but that seems to be turning. Hard Disk mining, cpu mining, phone mining is happening on a much larger scale than I realized even a few weeks ago. 

So though I do not talk of crypto in glowing terms, nor am I enamored to the idea of Bitcoin is all its cracked up to be. Yet being curious about many things I started mining crypto in 2018. Mostly more for the adventure and fun than profit to just see where it would go and how it works.

I learned that people do not use the chains they mine. They do not know if it even works as is declared in the white paper.

I learned how to understand  the new language by mining coins that still have not gained in value. Microbitcoin, Safe X, recently GRAFT and a few others in between just to see how they worked. Lethan was a great idea, mine it and use a private vpn with the mining proceeds. 

Alas all of these projects are still going no where it seems.

So pool mining seems to be the place to go for the small time miners who have cpu mining operations. This project of mining alt coins seems to bring about a small amount of return but not real profit per say. 

So I ask myself is it worth it? I really do not think so UNTIL you are able to figure out the right mining options for PROFIT.

I still do not do that. I simply stopped mining on my computer.

Yet, in 2020 I bought a small mining rig that is starting to return some of my investment in the rig.

Using a pool is certainty the best option for non ASIC miners. The pools that allow you to mine one coin and get paid out in another are the best ones.
If you read my post I am not so much pro crypto as pro free market and I look at crypto as a stock/market/casino/drug deal investment. Meaning simply you never no what could go wrong at any given time. 

However, in light of that; like anyone who is willing to take risk with capital (small scale) I am willing to wait and see if it will pay off in the end. I find that most people do not know how to hustle a buck outside of working a job. I see this small scale mining operation as simply that, a hustle, it might work out it might not. While it is legal I take advantage

So the point being most people can mine alt coins on pools that will provide a small income flow while your are using or letting our computer sit idle. 

I personally do it out of my curious nature and being older learning new things I find interesting.