I want to be an animator, and have started work in this field. I may not be the best artist, but I'm not HORRIBLE either. Yet still, people mock me or tell me that I should get a real job (I'm sixteen, BTW) rather than just "Draw pictures all day."
Well, start small and work your way up. If you make a convincing short, they might just start taking you seriously. Just don't try to make something too big starting out, that's a very good way to discourage yourself.
If you're 16, your skills are not that important. Your style neither.
You have plenty of time to work on it, refine it, sharpen it, whatever. Draw, draw, and draw again, and never discourage yourself. It's hard work, but it pays.
Make a site with flash vidyas. Then you can make money selling tshirts and mousemats with the lovable characters on them.