I think your first step might be to take a single class at a university, on whatever subject interests you.<p>Your question is at first straightforward. You say the "arts", which to many means the Fine Arts: painting, sculpture, music, etc. And so they advise you of the financial pitfalls. All well and good.<p>But upon closer inspection, your words are are little mysterious, because as examples you include sociology, history, and journalism. As others have pointed out, these are unlike trying to become a full-time novelist or guitarist. Broadly speaking, however, they do fall under the Arts, specifically the Liberal Arts, or the Humanities. If that is what you mean, the financial outlook still is dimmer than good old computer programming, finance, or business, but much brighter than trying to make a living as a painter.<p>As for getting into one of these Liberal Arts fields, I don't have a lot of good examples. The best advice I would have has already been given: in that you simply try to join a company that overall is in the field you are interested in. For example, if you are into journalism, try to get a job at a news company. If you are a history buff, maybe try to get a job at a textbook company or some other publisher of history books. It doesn't matter what kind of job you get. So you could exploit your expertise and try to land a job as a computer programmer there or something else technical. But once you are in there, as many have said here and elsewhere, it is far easier to slowly work your way into one of the more artistic jobs within the company. This is because of the huge importance of trust. The company now knows you, you are part of its circle, and after a couple of years of them observing that you're not a psycho, that trust goes a long way, and you actually have an advantage over a total stranger applying with a little bit stronger of a resume, because the company at this point is unsure that the stranger is trustworthy. Trust is huge. Join a company you like, make a few friends, bounce around from the inside.<p>But before that, you might consider just taking a college class --- the very thing you missed out on early on. This will give you a feel for what the work is like and might expose you to a few like minds, to the very beginning of social networking. Your teacher or classmates could advise you on extracurricular activities or clubs and, slowly, you could work your way further and further along.