I'm not yet capable of playing professionally. I might be able to reach that level, but I'm not there yet. And by "playing professionally" I don't mean "play well enough to make a living at it." There are very few people in the world who have ever made enough money from Magic tournaments to live on, although the number of people who at least manage to make back their expenses is much larger. (The "several thousand dollars a year" figure is an upper bound and doesn't take into account potential winnings.)

I actually do have a plan to get better, though; if I can put up a good showing in a few tournaments, Zvi Moshowitz will let me join his Magic playing social circle. (I think.) The current plan is to wait for the next Pro Tour Qualifier season to start - it's Sealed Deck with the soon-to-be-released Scars of Mirrodin set - and just attend as many as I can get to while also getting in plenty of practice by playing on Magic Online.