I skipped Bitcoin, went with Ethereum. So far, so good and I think it has a good future.
Till the government pulls the plug on alternative "currency."
The minute any government sees these crypto currencies as a threat, they can declare them illegal within their borders, and people will end up with just files on computers.
The US Constitution grants only the government the ability to produce money. As soon as they decide to crack down on alternate currencies, the stuff becomes worthless.