I've been doing it for about seven years now, off and on. My trainer wants me to do another year and then he'll put me into a mma fight.
It's the greatest sport and workout there is, In my opinion. If you've seen the latest UFC show, they have several ex-NFL players who say that they never worked out this hard in Pro football. If you want to you can get good at it, but it takes some work.
You'll need wraps, 16oz gloves and some shinguards at the very least, could be had for around $100. You'll need to find a gym with good instructors, ask around from people in the know to find one, your trainer makes all the difference.
You'll probably want to start out in group classes to get your cardio up (nothing more important), and if you decide you like it you might want some one on one sessions.
There are a lot of "kickboxers" with absolutely shitty boxing skills. Boxing is a lot more dynamic and strategic than kicking, I'd almost suggest that you learn hands before you learn kicks- kicks are easy, comparatively speaking.
Any moment now, AnnaTrocity will chime in with her exclusive knowledge and experience on the subject, focus this thread on her superior fighting skills and record, and offer to pay the travel expenses for anyone who tells her to fuck off so that they may meet her for a fight. At which point I will be outta here. Until then, OP- feel free to ask any questions.