Professional Development: Career Plan [WIP]

What is my goal?

My goal long term is to become an illustrator for tabletop games which slots into the Freelance label. I would also be looking into doing concept work for small Indie games. I think generally I would like to stick to the indie games industry rather than triple A just because I feel my personal artistic ability lines up more closely to that direction. 

Physically, I would like to remain in either Nottingham or Sheffield, though I wouldn't mind moving somewhere like Leamington Spa or Bristol to look for games jobs. If I could work freelance and not have to move to an urban area that would be preferred, but truthfully I will go wherever the jobs are. Maybe far in the future I might consider moving abroad? I like the idea of moving to either Norway or Sweden, but I'm not specifically aiming for that.

How do you plan to work towards this?

I think the most important thing for me to do right now is locate where the jobs I want to do are, I need to do a lot more networking to get myself out there whilst also working on improving my personal style and ability to make myself more employable. I think looking for some smaller freelance gigs may also help me build up my experience and help develop my portfolio further.

What am I doing from now until graduation and onwards to achieve this goal?

I have planned to attend several networking events throughout the following year to interact with industry professionals, on top of this I will be looking for and joining several groups that may help me find job listings for freelance artist work [I recently joined the UK tabletop games network which is full of professionals in this field]. I think attending some games conventions might also benefit me. While I am doing this, I will also look for a part time job to have a bit of income to allow me to visit these events and continue to produce and publish games.

How am I planning this, what resources will I use and how will I manage my time?