71writer,
When I was first starting out I focused on two areas -- my hobbies and my professional work experience.
For instance, I love to travel. So I built up a few clips by writing about my travel experiences for a small print travel publications and websites. They didn't pay a lot, but I did get small payments for these articles. So that's how I used my hobby to break in.
Next, I turned to my professional work experience. Trade magazines can be a great place for new writers to gain experience and clips. I had worked in the banking industry for five years so I researched trade magazines in the banking industry and found a few. I pitched ideas based on my inside knowledge of working at a bank and ended up landing several assignments with a trade pub.
From there things just snow balled. I started gaining more confidence and eventually started writing about other areas.
Make a list of your hobbies and work experiences. Did you work in retail? There are a lot of trade magazines targeted to this industry. Are you into scrapbooking or photography? Again, many pubs and websites about these subjects.
I would avoid content mill sites and freelance job bidding sites. The pay is crap usually and the clips don't impress magazine editors. You want to get quality clips -- even if they are from a community newspaper.
Read up on how to write query letters and letters of introduction.
Good luck!