Forget your ideas about the glamorous life of an art dealer -- meeting celebs at auction houses, sipping wine with high society at gallery shows. In reality, this can be like any other day-in, day-out sales job.

"If you're just out of art school, remember that there's little room for lofty academic ideals," says Carrie Secrist, 29, an art dealer in Chicago. "You'll have to roll up your sleeves and do everything from hanging the art to changing the light bulbs."

Successful dealers must be schmoozing pros. They spend the bulk of their time cultivating networks of artists and establishing connections with both collectors and museums interested in work by the artists they represent. A typical day includes hours of phone calls and in-person meetings with clients.

Would-be dealers often start by combining internships with entry-level jobs -- particularly as administrative assistants -- at galleries, museums or art auction houses. It takes years to develop contacts and move up the ranks. While some dealers work from private offices, most, like Secrist, sell primarily from a gallery. And the majority specialize in a style, period or type of art, such as sculpture or 19th-century.

On the downside of the profession, the art market is extremely volatile. Many dealers and galleries fold after just a few years. But those that survive can eventually make hundreds of thousands of dollars.

"You need a real passion for art to be in this business, because there is no guarantee you'll survive financially," explains Julie Deamer, 27, who works with up-and-coming contemporary artists at her four walls gallery in San Francisco. She works additional jobs to keep the three-year-old gallery going.

"The value of art is highly subjective," adds Secrist, who specializes in contemporary art and operates the five-year-old Gallery A with co-director Megan Riley, 32. "The business of selling art is difficult. You have to build a reputation for anticipating swings in taste and value."