I've been using Meteor in paid gigs for over a year now. I don't regret giving it a try. It was hard to get my mind around for a few weeks. But then it clicked and I saw a lot of possibilities. I've never been happier as a developer. But that's me. It fits me.

I started using Rails in professional work in late 2005. That turned out to be a good decision. There is hype around Meteor in the same way there was hype around Rails in 2004/2005. The praise and objections are similar. Meteor is not Rails, so don't go looking for too many parallels. And the development climate in 2013 is not the same as 2005. You won't be able to predict Meteor's success or failure in five years, so it's not worth speculating.

When Rails came out, I was ready for it, technically speaking. My skills were in the right place and I was ready for a change. Similarly, I felt I was in a good spot to learn Meteor last year.

So the real question is, are you excited, ready, and able to learn it? If so, go for it. The worst that will happen is you will learn a new programming paradigm (perhaps) and it will inform any other development work you do.