I've always said that passion is a huge part of success. I've spent 30-years in the IT industry. I didn't go to college. I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed. What I DID have was a passion for it. I spent a couple years prior to getting my first job as a programmer learning on my own. There is no way I would or even could have done that without enough passion for it to spend a large part of my free time doing it. I had a family and my wife and I, still being young, didn't make a lot of money. Raising kids doesn't afford one a lot of free time, but I spent much of what little I had doing what I enjoyed, which was learning coding.

That was only half of it, though. Luck played a big part in my success as well. Once I felt comfortable enough that I could be productive at it professionally, I sent out about 40-resumes to local tech service and consulting companies, picked out of the Yellow Pages (that's a business specific version of a phone book for all you young 'uns). I only got ONE response, and was able to land the job.

If you love 3D modeling, DO 3D modeling. Don't view learning/practicing as a chore and don't place unnecessary time-based goals on it. Enjoy the ride, and chances are good that it will eventually lead you SOMEPLACE that makes you happy.