Photography is not 'hard'. That being said, any Joe with a nice camera automatically thinks he's a photographer, knowing nothing of composing and how to capture a precise moment in the exact mood it was in.
Classes tend to be not very hard, though they are very labor intensive. They will teach you some basics (rule of thirds, how to use the camera, etc). They can NOT teach you how to be artistic and be good though. School all depends on you. If there is a local one, go there. If you prefer the online scene, go there. but you do NOT need a degree.
You can work at a place such as "picture people" or "image express" and work for about $9/hr. You can work for Nat'l geographic or People magazine and make tons more, work for a company's advertising compaign and make alot of money, or you can go solo and start your own business, which is what I did.
best of luck
