Keep in mind content creation -- motion graphics and modeling included -- is getting majorly disrupted right now. Everything is being commoditized (this coming from a small agency owner and creative). Which means price is often the deciding factor versus the art or the quality of content. We had a pitch recently with a tech firm with an abysmal website that needed motion graphics. The work we showcased was at a much higher level of quality and very competitively priced yet they went with another firm really based on price because the examples of their work were really rough-looking. So that is the reality of the industry right now.

Try contacting the local community college and see if you can set up a meeting with a professor or an instructor with the art program. They may be able to help with the portfolio. The graphic design/art field is extremely competitive. Most graphic design jobs require at least a BA and prefer a BFA to even get an entry level position. The better your portfolio, the better chance you have in the interview. If you can get your degree, or at least show you've had classes in design software - Adobe InDesign, PhotoShop, etc. you'll have a better chance of getting your foot in the door. Freelancing is another way to build up references and add to your professional portfolio. It will be a tough move - just to be up front. I know people who have their BFA and can't get a job in their field because of the competition for every job. I wasn't even able to get my BFA because the college I attended had a rule that they only accepted the top 2-3% of anyone who applied for their BFA to even get in to the program. It was also you against everyone else who applied, so you were compared to everyone else and picked apart viciously. You could take all the classes and if you didn't pass the critique. you didn't get a BFA, but a BA in Art instead. Try some of the things I mentioned and see if it helps out or at least points you in the right direction. Good luck!