Purchase the essential equipment. A live DJ will need at least two turntables (preferably equipped for both CDs and vinyl records), two turntable cartridges, a digital mixer, a pair of monitor headphones and two monitor speakers. You should also invest in a collection of CDs and records, including drum and bass, trance, hip hop, break beat, ambient and other techno varieties.
Study the art of DJing. Look for local DJ courses in your area, watch online turntable tutorials, read related books and make friends with other aspiring and established DJs. Ask them questions and allow them to show you their techniques. In addition, listen to DJ mix CDs and study the ways in which other DJs approach the process. Most importantly, practice every day.
Begin practicing in a public environment. Offer to perform at house parties, birthday parties and other functions hosted by your friends and relatives. At first you will most likely have to work for free, but the experience will allow you to hone your skills and start building a portfolio. You may also build a local buzz if the events are well attended.
Record a mix CD. It may consist of only a 15 to 20-minute demo, but will showcase your ability as a DJ. Connect your turntables to your mixer, and connect your mixer to your PC. If your mixer contains a USB cable, just connect it to the corresponding port. Otherwise, connect your mixer to your PC using the "Master Out" jack on the mixer. Use an audio interface (external sound card) or USB mixer connected to your computer for the input connection, or connect a 3.5mm adapter to your stereo cable and insert it into the "Line In" or "Mic In" on your PC. Record using digital audio software, much of which you can download for free online.
Start building your portfolio. Create a press kit, which contains a few paragraphs summarizing your experience, a personal bio, some photos of you DJing live events, contact information, a list of events played and a list of your available records. Also set up a personal page on multiple social networks. Choose networks that allow music streaming, such as MySpace, ReverbNation and PureVolume. Set up a page, include contact information and includes snippets from your recorded DJ mix.
Advertise your services. In addition to advertising your skills on your social networking pages, you can post in online and print classifieds in your area, submit your press kit to local club owners and promoters, contact local events companies (be prepared to submit your press kit and mix CD) and hand out personal business cards. The more events you play, the more connections you will make, ensuring even more opportunities down the road.