Professionals, how did you get your start?

Question

I know there are many people on here who earn a living working as professionals. I was just curious, how did you get your start?
I plan to attend Ohio University this fall to major in video production within the Scripps School of Communication. OU is well known for their school of communication, but obviously just having a good name behind your major doesn't guarantee a job.
What did you do to make yourself more marketable to potential employers? Any other advice that you have to share?
Thanks in advance
D

Answer 1

I started out as an apprentice editor on a feature film.  Got the job mainly because I fixed the director's assistant's computer during my interview.  Knowing how to use the Avid (thanks to film school) helped too. 
I started at the bottom, and worked my way up.  Gaining knowledge as I went.  Apprentice editor, to tape vault manager, to post coordinator, to assistant editor, to online editor, back to assistant, then to editor.  6 years from the day I started apprenticing until the day I started editing a broadcast show.
>What did you do to make yourself more marketable to potential employers?
Learned the ins and outs of the edit systems. I could troubleshoot them if they were broken, and knew the workflows for multiple shooting formats.  Was able to make the decision on edit systems to use and workflows to employ when presented with the shooting format, and delivery specs.  I learned all that from on the job training, and trolling the web for resources.  And a lot of work on my own.
>Any other advice that you have to share?
Work your @$$ off!  If you think the job is below you, and act that way, you won't get hired again.  Don't think that you will start off right away as an editor, or DP, or director.  Starting out as an assistant is a great way to learn all that you need to learn to perform your job.  Because right out of film school, you don't know what you don't know.  But work hard, be dependable, and you will get hired again and again.