Recent years have seen great improvements in courses preparing artists for the real world, and I like to see emphasis on what might be called 'freelance prep'. There are full-time positions to be had in various aspects of art and design, but eventually many artists -- both commercial and fine art -- will end up working for themselves in some manner.

Business fundamentals--billing, contracts, professional conduct, marketing and branding, self-promotion--are an important part of a professional artist's life. Artists can keep themselves up to date in these areas in many ways: online, library, class, on the job, at a conference, and there are some very good books on business for artists/small business that can help you target what you need to know.