Jumping in on this. Everything said here is 100% sound advice. I went to school for art, and then became an art teacher first at the K-12 level and then an instructor at a university so let me echo and add to some of this to anyone else who might have similar questions.
First, you don't need a degree to be a working artist. Art schools can probably help you get better faster than you would if you were working on your own just in the sheer volume of work you make and the number of eyes on it. And as stated in the original post, it's a great place to make connections, find opportunities, and build a community. When my high school students were looking for art schools I always told them to be mindful as to what the school does to make sure that you are setting yourself up for the professional expectations of being an artist, and to actively seek out opportunities when you're there. Many schools (at least in the US) just teach you how to be an artist and then set you loose to figure it out on your own.
But in terms of professional qualifications, job listings will have specifics they would like from you, and unless you're working in academic or administrative fields they probably won't require an art degree. Otherwise your portfolio will speak for itself.
As kebriones said, take every opportunity. Put yourself out there. Find opportunities in your community. Make opportunities for yourself. Conventions, gallery openings, open studios, artist markets, artists membership-based groups and things like that are a great place to network and ask questions. Most art-related jobs are word-of-mouth by someone recommending someone else they know or a friend-of-a-friend type situation.
Social media is such a tough game because it requires you to post constantly, engage with followers and similarly focused accounts, and to stay on top of the material the algorithm of whatever platform you're on prioritizes at the moment. It is worth mentioning that some bigger companies have begun making hiring decisions based on social media following because they think a higher follower count means they have a consumer base automatically built in to whatever it is they're selling which is a really nasty practice because of course there are so many incredibly talented artists who just haven't been "discovered" by the algorithm and follower count does not determine your worth as an individual regardless of profession.
It's also worth mentioning, as kebriones said, "artist jobs" are incredibly broad in scope. If you're looking at something specific, say video game animation, I would look at a job posting for a video game animator and see what skills/program knowledge/qualities they're looking for so you know what you need to build up in order to meet those qualifications. In terms of other, less commercial art forms, find an artist either in person or social media and tell them about your aspirations and ask if they would be able to talk about some of the challenges of getting into that profession (also remember to be very polite and accept the fact that some people might want to do that/don't have the time and move on to another artist who might).
I will also reiterate that working professionally as an artist means you will probably end up doing things you don't want to do or work at a pace that isn't really conducive to your process to turn a profit. A lot of people think being an artist means they'll get hired to make their original graphic novel, and that can happen! But even if you are working on something you're incredibly passionate about, you will probably have to deal with editors, deadlines, and other people involved that might make the process less fun.
Make art consistently. Burnout is a real thing and can make you not want to do art, but even mindlessly doodling or making something completely unhinged is "making art". Social media has us in the mindset of "if it can't be used for content, it's not worth doing" and that is so detrimental to creativity and why so many artists get burnt out. Make something without the expectation of posting or perfection and fall back in love with your work. Try a new medium, a new technique, look up a prompt generator, play collaborative art games with your friends, but don't walk away from art completely because you're burnt out. If you don't use it, you lose it.
Look at other art. Not just works from your contemporaries, but build up a historical art reference base as well, not to mention artists from outside of your own discipline. My old high school art teacher used to say "art isn't made in a vacuum". The more art you expose yourself too the more inspired you will get and the more depth your work will have. So many of my students these days have no context for artists, historical or contemporary and it kind of shows in their work. Or I've heard things like "I don't want to be influenced too much because I don't want to seem like I'm copying another style." Which is... not how it works, but okay.
Don't get discouraged by rejection. It will happen a lot. Even established, popular artists get rejected. It's not personal and does not speak to your abilities as an artist.
Network/Look for opportunities/Make opportunities in your community, online, etc...I can guarantee you there are plenty of artists less skilled than you with more success/followers/opportunities because they know how to sell themselves.
Lastly, and I'm going to echo kebriones one last time, you can be an artist and not WORK as an artist. Plenty of people have non-art day jobs and still have a consistent and fulfilling art-making practice. Just because you aren't getting paid for your art does not mean you are not an artist.
