Some people are lucky, but that doesn't make hard work irrelevant. I just started school for a degree in animation, and all of the seniors I know of who are graduating with jobs in the field, didn't get there because daddy owns the company, they got there by spending hours in the studio perfecting their work, and hours outside going to career fairs, taking shitty internships, and giving their business card to anyone who would get close enough for a handshake. I don't care how much people talk about preexisting talent and connections. You can make yourself skilled. You can get to know people.
On the topic the OP was actually intending to talk about: I'd have to say drawing. I've always thought it was kind of weird that when I get out my sketchbook people think I'm some kind of magician. I'm not, I've just filled dozens of sketchbooks before the one you can see, and the early ones looked as bad as what any "non artist" thinks they're stuck with as their skill-level. If I ever start thinking that hard work gets me nowhere, I just take a look at one of those old sketchbooks and remember how far I've come.
Also, If there's something you want to learn, don't wait for college or a class. This is the information age. You have the internet. Start looking. Everything you can learn now will help you later, even if not in immediate or directly quantifiable ways.
