Modeling
companies don't come with a back seat, but that shiny new car
that you can buy with your new contract does! Modeling companies
can help you get a foot in the door. You have to be determined,
and sometimes very lucky.
Get together with some other friends who are also models and create your own line of clothing. Modeling companies will only take you so far, but being an entrepreneur will give you something that will last your whole lifetime. Don't completely write off modeling companies, just don't rely on them as if they are going to hand you a career.
In dealing with modeling companies you will learn, and get experience when they send you around to auditions. You may get lucky and meet someone that likes you and shares some valuable wisdom with you. But all modeling companies aside, the most important variable in the picture is you.