Breaking into the industry

I get emails every now and again about what to put in a portfolio or how to get a job. the truth is a job will find you. Don't focus on finding a job. Just compare your work to what you see in the art of books or your favorite artist on the internet. you have to be that good to get a job. A lot of people think, "oh, if I could only get that job, then people would teach me and I could be that good." (By the way, that's exactly what I used to think). you will get a lot better on the job, but you have to be at a professional level to get the job in the first place. If you get a job when you're not that good, you're just going to worry about getting fired, when instead if you get really good, you'll be turning down work (I'm not quite there yet). I made this mistake when I graduated from school. I thought I was pretty good and could just get a job. After about my fifth rejection letter and two years out of work I got desperate. I thought this was going to be easy. I was at comiccon and watched one of the "Flight" artist drawing a picture next to his name. It took him absolutely no effort. Meanwhile, drawing was extremely hard for me. I just decided I wasn't going to draw another comic, or drawing out of my head until I knew how to draw. I started taking classes and just studying for 2 years. I didn't do stories for Flight 4 and 5. I just studied. Then, all of a sudden, I had 2 job offers. Later, I did a story for flight 6 and it was so much easier. I actually like drawing now, where it used to be painful.

SO, a plan of attack.
1) You already draw well and people are emailing you because your work is so awesome and everyone wants to hire you.
2) If not, it takes about 3 years to get to a professional level (good enough to get a job). That's with studying all the time morning noon and night.
3) It takes about 10 years to get good at something. (At least that's what Steve Huston told me and he's really good). So you have to keep working to get to that next level after you are at the professional level.