Is it worth getting started playing TF2?

You should at least idle once a week. Do this for several months building up weapons and then scrap them all for metal and trade the metal for whatever game(s) you can get.

Most people just play it for the trading :|

I just idle and wait for someone to make offers for the items.....

It's an amazing game! There are bots to practice with too and tutorials if you are new!

Yes you should try it, you don't need items to have fun. Stock items are the best in almost every case anyways. Tips? Don't get into trading unless you are willing to dedicate a lot of time. Anything else is a matter of your playstyle. You should try all classes and pick a few that you like more and focus on those.

It's free, so the best thing to do is just install it and play for a while to see if you enjoy it.

play medic heal people,cap point and/or push cart,get point and WIN
if soldier shoot feet should be enough,

It is, especially when you are interested in a different kind of shooter.

There is no such thing as "to be late for TF2" and I mean it in way, you don't need to play hundreds of hours to get good weapons. Most of the players still play with the default ones and even the dropped/crafted weapons have their downsides. Do not get distracted by the weapons, hats, etc for money, you do not need it. It is for free, give it a shot. If you like it, upgrade to premium.

Plenty of better free games are coming out now, Tribes: Ascend, Blacklight Retribution, Planetside 2, GRO, and allot of other F2P fps games.

I got in on TF2 late but I really only played it for a month or so before I was bored of it, I guess if you care allot about collecting hats it can hold your interest for a few months longer.

@CorneliousJD:
Since your post is 3 weeks old, did you give TF2 a try? What's your impression? Do you still need some tips/help?

You will love the hats :3

Yes, yes, and yes. One of the best multiplayer FPSes of all time