Would it be smart to persue a career as an airline or cargo pilot

If that is what you want to do, yes, of course!
Airplanes are not going anywhere, so there will always be a need for pilots. The only problem is, jobs are not super abundant at the moment. But that does not mean they do not exist.
Put in the time, and focus on building your flight hours.

If you like traveling, being away from your loved ones, and airplanes . Your competition will come from the Air Force and
other people like you. In the Air Force they wash out about 90%
of applicants due to health problems and lack of physical strength.

If you join the Air Force to fly, you need a college degree. Your local recruiter may be able to help you decide if you have a chanch of making the grade.

Depends on what ur criteria for ''smart'' is. It is not smart to do it for the money or the lifestyle. If it is something that u love to do, u can make a case for it.

Most people will probably tell u it is not smart because of today is operating environment. The entry price into the industry is expensive - $50,000+ for training in addition to a college education. After that, u r realistically looking at 5-8 years of making between $15,000 & $45,000. It gets better after that, but the top end is less than half of what it was 10 years ago, adjusted for inflation.

The hours r long, especially in the beginning. In much of the industry, it is common to spend more nights in a hotel than at home. There r many exceptions, but those jobs r harder to get.

On the positive side, if u have a passion for flying & a lot of patience to make ur goals work, it is a very rewarding profession. l do not work for airlines, so l have it a bit better. l certainly enjoy what l do. But my motivation is to learn as much as l can about aircraft systems, safety, technology, standard operating procedures, & crew dynamics. l always strive for that elusive theoretical ''perfect flight''. It is great if u r are a self-motivated perfectionist. If those do not sound like ur goals, u will have a hard time in the profession.

Of course.Good pay, benifits, retirement.