1. It can be hard to get that first job, but for those that want commercial experience, if you don't have it, make sure you are enthusiastic and know what you are talking about. Make sure you have your own practical experience programming which you can draw on. Many interviews will ask you to write a sample app or find problems in code - being able to do this quickly and well will help. Originality in this case is also a bonus.


2. C++, Open-GL, Physics (close to the ultimate combination). It is not easy, but if you try producing simulations of gravity and stuff then you are on the right road. Don't forget basics though, you can produce games with 2D graphics, or no graphics at all. Be original, and keep coming up with ideas for games. Also, do not shun re-programming old-games, this is all great experience for making bigger and better games in future.


3. I agree with TheCPUWizard. Understand every input and output to functions, and take care to know what you have done in a tutorial before moving onto the next. Somtimes multiple tutorials teaching the same thing will help. Get a good basic book, you know a C++ step by step, combine it with a known book like the C++ Primer, and introduce any tutorials that you return through google from places like codeguru and other hobbyists. Initially it can be slow or uninteresting, but anyone with an interest in computing and programming long-term will always keep in mind their eventual goals. If you can set yourself a goal to try and achieve in the beginning like a very simple application, and program that step by step as you learn something new, then that helps.