At least in my pedagogy of things… you can´t study the first two years of music only and then start stressing on finding work as a composer just because your production “sounds good” . 80% of the anonymous nim users of Discord are composers like this: they sacrifice handcraft by rushing their short-term expectations, and really stressing.
In my opnion, if you are not able to teach someone to do something useful, you are not a professional yet. Here I would draw the line where not getting comissions might be an ISSUE, if your field is very commercial.
However while you are not a pro, you are a lerner, and this is ok. This can take the time it needs.
In Art you do not only learn the craft, but you have to learn your artistical purpose stilll!
Instead of stressing over the world of digital numbers, and superficial social and professional proof, I would use the time of “aspiring composer” trying to cover the cost of living in such a way that when you are going to learn music, and compose music, you are aesthetically FREE and DETACHED.
With this condition met, soon the compositional techniques start to become ONE thing with your artistical purpose in life; you are now aesthetically aware and individuated in the history of music. This is why your melody touches someone deeper.: it comes from our culture as a whole, but als from your most singular self-development. Your struggle for pefection ressonate now in the choice of tones, and this ressonate on people who hear in your sound what they were never able to communicate with their voices.
Now it happens the event of an ex-pression: something comes from inside out, and is able to be shared in collective appreciation. Now you should wonder:
How much does the infinite value cost?
I answer: Always exactly what one’s is able to perceive.
Your task as a composer re-fine your senses and to elevate someones perception; not to be enslaved by an uneducated perception. Gross and fine are opposites that work as your parameters of taste.
The skills aquired as a DECENT PROFESSIONAL composer, for example playing or transcribing, will alone get you into other paths that might help you cover the luxus of traveling to LA in ode to network…
Or the luxus of scoring 1 minute action scene in the style of… Scriabin (of course, i chose here the coolest dandy ever) just to get the gig. (Ah, ops, I mentioned a composer that is rarely mentioned in temp-tracks and is not on AI yet))
The competition to show who has more views or commissions is only your concern as a financial self provider, not as a composer. As a composer it TRULY doesn’t matter how the world is requesting you or not: you might be the composer of the post-mortem type… Who knows?
If things happen easily for you at the start, embrace it. If it doesn’t, focus on the essence of what this activity is about, and “rush calmly” towards the first comission.
Art IS ABOUT IMPROVING THE CRAFT. Before you stand out, you should be at least useful. And here is where craft comes in. Still, independently of appearing or not, craft will probably be the central part of being fulfilled . Because craft leads to expression, and expression causes joy, giving us fulfilment.