When I (finally) decided what I wanted to do with my career, I spent a lot of time volunteering. I worked for free for a couple of different organizations. While I was doing that, I networked. I went to a ton of social events that I knew would be attended by the same people I wanted to work with. I talked a lot about what I was working on, invited them to attend events that I'd organized, shared my work with them. And I waited, patiently, for the right opportunity. When an opening that fit my skills and desires became available, I sent in all the requested materials, but then I went to the very next social event I knew the prospective boss would be at and basically had my interview over pizza and beer. I started as an intern, worked my backside off to provide way more value than I cost, and got an offer for permanent employment within 4 months. Including the initial swap from intern to employee, I've been promoted 3 times in less than 3 years. So the short answer? Two words: hard work.
Twitter: @jen_djinn