My advice would be to take it up as a second job. You can do alot of work on the weekends, open houses, stuff like that. I think people who jump into it have serious misconceptions that right after they get thier licenses they will be out there taking listings and working directly with buyers.
So as long as you have a steady source of income that you can rely on to pay your rent and bills then take the classes, get your license, go work for a good brokerage and learn the business.