Studying Modern Art Today & Looking For Job

I am studying Modern Art today. I was thinking, I really don't know how to describe certain aspects of art, and I like modern art and would like to be able to talk about it and discuss it.

I can do replications of some impressionist stuff like Degas but I just think I'm better going with oclor, emotion, and balance (balance is something i feel is off in my big blue painting). I guess I've always been modern. When I was in 1st grade my teacher told us to draw and everyone drew pictures of houses and animals and families and the teacher came over to my desk, and I've never forgotten, looked at what I'd done, in dismay, and said, "what is THAT?" and then said something about why hadn't I drawn anything. I had though. I took a bunch of different crayons and colored over the entire paper. It was dark but had some variation in color. I told her, "It's a sunset." Then she was like, "Oh." Huh. Sunset. lol. It was one big mass of solid color.

I am studying art today and I am looking for a job. Been doing that, but it's difficult. I might try to buy a couple more oils and a canvass with what little money I've left...maybe try to sell stuff.

UPDATE: Hmmm. I don't know if I'm a "modern" artist or "contemporary" artist. I suppose you don't have a choice, if you're the artist, because it depends upon when you've been born. So I'm a contemporary artist but I don't know what my style is. I do paintings like what I put online but more commonly I've used more actual shape and form...a little more structure, but abstract always. Except for my degas copies. This is interesting though.

I'm educating myself. I went to "About.com" for "Modern Art" and there is a HUGE list. HUGE. I had no idea. So I'm writing down all the styles and periods and then I'll go to Contemporary Art. I think I'm going to work backwards though, with what I view and study first. I will start with most recent styles in Contemporary Art and then work back.