I'd start with a small amount via Coinbase. It's about as reputable as you can get, and as good of a cloud-based wallet as any. By all accounts, if you do buy a substantial amount, it probably is best to get it into a paper wallet. However, I would not put money into BTC you can't afford to lose. Anything can happen at this point. Don't have any browser extensions enabled when you are using an online wallet, and use 2FA.
i second this, coinbase was the best service i found to use. also yeah be prepared to lose haha. i had awful luck with btc, bought some right to use on silkroad right before a bust, so i lost money there, then silkroad got everything in everything that was in, i cant remember the term, but the 3rd party holding while you waited on your things from a vendor got robbed. if i get back into cc though i'll probably start with one of the newer cc like litecoin then put my earnings in btc. fake edit, posting on a phone makes run on sentences.