Macbook Pro Late 2011 upgrade questions

I'm looking at buying a Macbook Pro late 2011 2.4 or 2.5 with 15" screen, to replace my older unit.
Most were made with a standard HDD. How difficult is it to completely replace the HDD with a SSD or hybrid? I still want to retain the optical drive inside the computer.
Also, how difficult is ram replacement on this model? I will most likely want to max it out.

Thanks for all your help in advance!

Not difficult.
Installing MacBook Pro 15" Unibody Late 2011 RAM - iFixit
Installing MacBook Pro 15" Unibody Late 2011 Hard Drive Replacement - iFixit

Editing MacBook Pro 15" Unibody Late 2011 Repair Manual - iFixit

How difficult is the software transition onto the new drive? Keep in mind that the old drive will no longer be inside the computer. I want to completely replace it. What happens to programs/software that is licensed to only one computer such as Adobe or Windows?

Pick yourself up one of these:

Newegg.com - Vantec 2.5"/3.5"/5.25" SATA/IDE to USB 2.0 Adapter - Model CB-ISATAU2

It will allow you to connect the new drive externally. Then, use a tool like SuperDuper! or CarbonCopyCloner to clone the old drive to the new drive. Swap the new drive in when it's done and you're done.

Software that uses a product activation scheme will not be affected - it would require a much more substantial change to trigger re-activation.