Thinking of taking the plunge.

Can someone give me an honest view of potential profitability as a miner? When I search for best miner currently, I see the Bitmain Antminer S21 Hyd 335T. I also see other miners with higher hash rates. It looks like the top of the line miners are $10k-$15k.

I am wondering if it truly makes sense to make such an investment. Let’s assume I invest 15k in a top of the line miner. What are the next steps?

I see some online miner net profitability estimates of $30 a day, so I assume I could pay for the miner in a year or two. Can anyone point me to someone that has done this? I’d like to know if $30 a day is realistic. Also, how long does a typical top of line miner remain top of the line? Based on what I’ve read, I believe that I would need to join a mining pool. Right now, I’m just trying to see through the hype and get an honest assessment of potential profitability and ensure I am not missing any other risks. (I’ve thought about electricity and taxes so not missing those).

Thanks!