Re: Studying for the business - looking for helpful advice

Internships are perfect for this, because you're getting academic credit and seeing how real-world practical experience fits into your "book larnin'". Many (but not all) internships can lead to full time work after graduation, so when you get one, consider it an audition for getting hired and work as hard as if that was the goal. In any case, use the contacts from all your internships and practicum labs to start networking.

While in school and while you have access to labs, studios, gear, push all the time to borrow that gear and make stuff with your friends. Build a reel with pro bono and spec work based on things you love or support.

Maybe the best thing I can suggest - and this I think is the same for the folks who took the college track and those that took the school of hard knocks track - is that you should not wait for some exterior authority to give you permission, blessing, approval, or support to engage in the career.

You really need to seize it for yourself, define yourself and not be defined by others as far as what you can and cannot attempt.

You can't sit back and just hope someone offers you work because you deserve it. If you can't find a job, create one. That is, create your own projects to produce, learn how to raise money for them and learn how to work with others to achieve the goal. In your single youth, you have the least number of attachments and others depending on you for a living, and the most flexibility in where and how you can choose to live... so now is the best time to take those big chances. Chase the work where it will lead you. Yes, you will crash and burn a time or two, this is paying tuition in the school of life. Analyze the risks, make well-considered decisions and backup plans and then commit to something. If you fall short, which is likely, you will still learn from it, and that will help you when you try again.

Walking forwards is a kind of controlled falling forward, after all. As long as you keep putting another foot forward, and work on being balanced, you keep your face from hitting the sidewalk. So decide on a first step and take it. Then repeat, until you get where you wanted to go.