You've got to remember that being successful in this business is the same as any other industry. You wouldn't walk into a courtroom and say "hi, I am a lawyer". You would go through years of studying and exams, then do internships at companies so you could learn the ropes. This business is the same. If you don't know how to to do what you want to, then research it thoroughly and yes, certainly, take jobs doing stuff within the industry which teaches you the ropes. Even basic stuff like cropping thumbnails can teach you stuff like what size thumbnails should be, what they should show, etc . . so yes, getting work from people within the industry is definitely a good idea - might be easier said than done though, but good luck
Definitely start a blog as well though - it doesn't take long and will teach you the basic about links, traffic, content, etc . .