Good points brought up.
If you want to become a professional you have to realize that it is a business. That includes marketing, dealing with clients, paying bills, and producing the finished product.
You have to be competitive and very good at what you do. Technical know-how is a must because you may not have a choice of what lighting, subject matter, or location you will have to work with. You need to know how to get the best results under the worst conditions.
Know your equipment. Is it the right equipment for the job. I've known photographers that had the bare basics and they could out-shoot anyone just because they knew the limits of their equipment and worked within them.
Some photographers develop an "eye" or have it naturally. They can see beautiful or incredible shots that set them apart from other photographers. Do you have an "eye" for photography? Look at some of the great photographers (past and present) and see what it is in their pictures that makes them great.
Find an area that you are interested in and study it.
I had an interest in antiques. I made a side-line business documenting artifacts for small museums who had very limited budgets. Eventually, it led to a contract for a major museum and I did everything including photographing artifacts, shooting pictures for exhibits and providing photos for promotional material.
I also photographed female models. They needed a portfolio to show to agencies and I needed photographs to show off my talents so I did first-time models for free. After seeing my work, the agencies began hiring me to photograph models for their clients.
Being a professional photographer is a terrific career choice and can be very rewarding.
Good luck!
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