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Honestly, I've read through this whole forum, and have been both inspired and disheartened by peoples' positive and negative responses. To be a great mangaka, it seems many don't understand that this goal takes decades, not just years to accomplish and it will not be easy under by means during that time and likely there are going to be dozens of days where you're going to just want to snap your pencil in half and quit. However, it seems Shounen Jump and other companies are finally looking out into more broadened horizons for new works and employment(Likely because they realize manga produced exclusively in Japan is slowing in popularity likely because of cliche storylines being used over and over again by the same genre of people.)
This alone is a good reason to consider the career, but also remember, pay is based off of success. If you suck, you're either going to get paid diddly squat or escorted out the door, but if you're good, you'll realize pay will be much more appealing. However to get 'good' again will take large sums of time, usually years so make sure you have a part time/full time job for income, likely part time to make room for making the manga as it seems 30-60page/month deadlines are common once you get hired on.
Just because manga originated in Japan does NOT AT ALL mean you must move there just to be a mangaka. On the other hand I'm willing to bet that if you want to work for the best, and be the best, you'll need to overcome those social, and law-based barriers and move there to further your career. Unfortunately it's true you'll probably have to move there to work as one of the best but perhaps if you read the next paragraph that task will not be as daunting or horrifying as you might think....
BUT one thing I'm sick of reading is people ranting ''I wanna move to Japan and be a mangaka!!! It's my dream! I'll do it at all costs!!''.... Are you people freaking crazy?! Seriously! I'm not saying don't be one, heck no we need new blood and new ideas, don't EVER stop striving to be a mangaka but think more realistically here people.... manga is an international BUSINESS, which means publication and production is international, you will need a background to get to the top, you will need to start near the bottom in an entry level, working in Japan is NOT entry level for non-japanese mangaka or soon-to-be mangaka. It may not be as glorified or wonderful as the falsified dream of a one-in-a-billion shot of starting out in Japan in an office working for $100k/year like some seem to think is the case, but start out making manga for something like Tokyopop in your country where as you no longer have a social, lingual, or ethical barrier to smash through(yet). Once you get good here, once you've honed your mangaka skills at a professional level and can create a descent work that can be called 'manga' and not 'comic' or 'OEL Manga' or just 'Graphic Novel,' once you've made a bit of a name for yourself and have a good reference in that field, and have taken the time to master(or at least become fluent in) Japanese, perhaps you can transfer over to the Japan HQ where you can further your career if you're good enough.
Tips? I needn't waste my time repeating what many people have said in this thread, if you want tips, read this whole thread and you will know more than you did an hour ago when you started reading, guaranteed because experienced and non-experienced artists and some actual mid-level mangakas with real experience have posted here.
My only real tip that's been said over again and I have to say as well though, is work your ass off like there is no tomorrow, seriously, draw until you're eating pain killers like candy and that's no joke you will need that much practice. I can't say it enough, you will, realistically speaking, spend as much time making manga that will never go beyond your desk as you do at a full time job making the money to pay for expenses such as living and the incredibly expensive manga tools needed to make excelent quality manga. Once you get the chance, you can send in a copyrighted segment of your manga you wish to publish to tokyopop or another company of the like, then if, and only if they like it, will you even get a shot, otherwise, revise it and try again. Failure works almost better than success people, because when you fail, you know what not to do again next time. And do not forget, that there is always a chance for a 'next time' if your first attempt fails. If variety is the spice of life, then perseverence is the main friggin ingredient.
Perhaps after this step you will get the opportunity to produce your own manga but realize, that even if you are, your prized story will belong to the company, not you, and you will produce it at THEIR discretion meaning despite how long you have planned this epic story out for, your boss could say, 'end it with your next manga' when you feel you just got into it, or 'well we want you to continue this story for another few chapters, its drawing a lot of fanbase' when you were one book from the ending.
The general point: If you wanna be good, you have to prove it. Set deadlines for yourself, strict ones. Practice every day, even if it means giving up that lan party or missing out that one day hanging out with your friends/girlfriend/boyfriend; if you get your point across to them they will understand. You must give up quite a bit to become not good, but good enough. Understand that the manga you just read or are going to read has been made by someone who's full time job over the past many years has been to draw like that; you will need to dedicate yourself equally to the cause and overcome far more difficult barriers if you want to be in their shoes one day. When you work as a mangaka, you are not given your own story to work on, they give you your work and you produce as they demand..... you are the hands that draw their ideas and fuel the market of manga.
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