How to turn my hobby into a profession

First of all, hello, this is my first post as I am obviously new here. My primary instrument I play is the trombone which I play for my high school's Jazz Band and formerly Wind Ensemble. I also play the euphonium which I have only been playing for about a year for my school's Wind Ensemble currently but I also play the electric guitar which I self-taught myself.

I have been composing music for my trombone and guitar using what minimal tools I had for composing which is simply manuscript paper. I have used Finale Notepad and Sibelius for composing before but I find that they are sometimes difficult to deal with regarding the slow note input.

It's clear that I want to get into something in the field of music when I get out of school but currently I am looking at doing music composition. However, I know that it will be a long and difficult road to get there. Even though I use the music theory I am taught in school to compose little by little, I don't usually get much done as I'd like to. I have all these big ideas for songs but can't always put them down on paper or on the computer. Thinking about how I am going to manage composing music in the future seems hopeless if I can't generate some good pieces within a month or so.

This leads me to asking, do Music Theory classes help composers make music easier using the acquired knowledge or not? If so, that's what I plan to take in college as I will major in music composition. It is just that my mindset of having a create a perfect piece usually takes away all the inspiration I have to trying to create something.

What should I start with and how can I improve my composition abilities so that I can turn a hobby into a profession? Any advice would be great. Maybe I am over thinking about this topic but I can't stress how important it is.

I'm a trombonist/composer too so I'll give a better response tomorrow but one thing...

I have been composing music for my trombone and guitar using what minimal tools I had for composing which is simply manuscript paper. I have used Finale Notepad and Sibelius for composing before but I find that they are sometimes difficult to deal with regarding the slow note input.

No, you haven't learned the "real way" of imputing notes. Note imput in Sibelius (and even Finale though not as much) is very fast if you know all the shortcuts. Most students erroniously think that you can only click and point with the mouse. Not so. This is the very slow manual way. The other is by keypad imput, using the numbered keypad on any computer keyboard. The third is via a MIDI keyboard which is great for more complex chords and stuff, but not as fast as keypad. Crack open the manual (or press F1) and learn. It will do you wonders for your compositional efficiancy and flow.

I'm a trombonist/composer too so I'll give a better response tomorrow but one thing...

No, you haven't learned the "real way" of imputing notes. Note imput in Sibelius (and even Finale though not as much) is very fast if you know all the shortcuts. Most students erroniously think that you can only click and point with the mouse. Not so. This is the very slow manual way. The other is by keypad imput, using the numbered keypad on any computer keyboard. The third is via a MIDI keyboard which is great for more complex chords and stuff, but not as fast as keypad. Crack open the manual (or press F1) and learn. It will do you wonders for your compositional efficiancy and flow.

I have tried to use the shortcuts on Sibelius before but there are so many to learn. Actually, I used the keypad before for different noteheads and the note input via the letters on the keyboard but only for bass clef as I am a hesitant treble cleft reader.

Perhaps I might try one of the ways you suggested for Sibelius but I'd like to hear what other advice you have to offer before I jump into anything.

Mmmmm, keyboard notation is such a beautiful tool. Do as Justin says and learn the shortcuts... they are awesome.

I second that, Speedy Edit is teh teesch, I can input a complex full band score in just a couple hours - I like getting a hold of them and practicing just inputting and formatting parts for the hell of it.

Anyways, I don't mean to be a complete scallop, but this kinda drove me insane...

imput -> input

erroniously -> erroneously

efficiancy -> efficiency

sorry, I only very rarely suffer from AG'D... or Acute Grammarian Disorder.