Path to working freelance(consulting) sustainably

Hey folks, wanted to understand a couple of things from experienced folks here -

1. What does freelance consulting look like?
2. How to start working in freelance consulting(shadowing/independent projects for free/volunteering etc.)?
3. Are there any hard barriers to entry(YoE, MBA, T1 grad for example)?
4. What platforms should one use to obtain projects that pay decently well - 2-3 hours daily leading to ~30k earnings monthly? If this is an unrealistic expectation, how does the payscale build over time?
5. Any other insights/comments that would affect the decision to work on freelance consulting.

Thanks in advance!