is an illustrator a legitimate career?

I'm considering illustration as a career. The impression I have got is that, you would have to do other jobs at the same time, like work in a gallery, teach etc, I might be wrong, but this is the impression I have got. For some people this may appeal to them, and for others it may not. Also depends what type of illustrator you want to be, and how popular your art is.

My fine art teacher teaches only on certain days, and on the other days works in her studio on her paintings (she's a fine artist though, but you get what I'm saying).

EDIT:

If you're planning on a career in illustration, I suggest you talk to people who work as illustrators, and ask them what it's like, how much they get for their work, does salary vary, etc. You need to ask people who actually are in the illustration industry as many questions as you can. Yahoo isn't really the best place to ask about it.

Bethany is right also you have to consider whether or not you will work for some company as an illustrator or be a free lance illustrator.

I had a cousin who was an illustrator and he sometimes did work for Playboy magazine. But he used the conventional art materials like pen, pencil,markers etc.And how that worked was he would receive a short version of and article they were going to publish ,he would read it and then had to think of what illustration he would do for that particular article.

Playboy would look at his work along with many other artists work about that same article. And then they would choose which one they wanted . His work was chosen quite often. And he got paid very well but then there were times he would work very hard on an article and they did not like it or liked someone else's better then his .

Well all the work he put into it never paid anything because Playboy choose another artists work over his.

That is what can happen if you do freelance work or be your own boss so to speak. It pays very well when it pays ,but there are times it does not pay at all.This is the chance you take when you work for your self .

Whether or not it is pen or pencil or even digital. Some times they love your work other times they don't .

Even if you work for a company full time this will happen ,but of course you still get paid because you won't make the money you would if you were on your own.

You brain really has to work overtime on this type of job.

Sometimes it can be a very stressful job.