Professor Davis is absolutely right in his message on the evils of self-publishing.  No writer who intends to have a respectable professional career will go near a vanity press.  As I always say in my classes, THE WRITER NEVER PAYS.  You either develop your abilities enough to go to the real publishing houses or you make writing a hobby and find another line of work.

 

As for getting jobs in the publishing/agenting world, you need to study the craft of writing until you know how books and stories are put together.  You should know what makes a story good or what makes it fail. You need to be good at proofreading, spelling, and punctuation.  All jobs in this industry start at rock bottom, and you learn as you go.  It's really that simple.

DC