i agree with Heartshape on the following points
1) if you know where you stand among the competition, place yourself in the right market, you can call the shots when it comes to pricing yourself.
don't worry about the money part .. there is definitely money to be made...just a matter of how much. most important thing now is to gain lots of experience and knowledge. above all, passion is the one thing that will keep you going when all chips are down.
2) research and basic knowledge is important, to say the least. know what you are getting into. do you like photography as something you can do day in day out as a 'career' .. or do you see it as something just to pass time? like ricohflex mentioned, it can be a (very) tough, demanding and stressful job. again, this is a question of real 'passion'. are you willing to go through sacrifices for 'photography' ?
feel free to pm me or anything .. im willing to share my (limited) experience in this line. i am currently working my way through as an assistant photographer