I wish I had concentrated more on business courses and liberal arts - instead, I concentrated on photography which didn't prepare me for everything else in life. Going to school is the 'fast track' to much of the technical side of the business. Also, college courses in business, languages, etc. are more important than most people think. Composition, aesthetics, design are the hard parts and maybe something that cannot be taught. Technology will take care of technology.
Photographers come from every field.
Obviously, majoring in photography is the fast track, but I know very successful photographers who have studied business, finance, architecture, etc. I'd guess the first step after graduating would be assisting. Freelance assistants have the luxury of working on an architectural shoot one day, a fashion shoot on another, and wrapping the week up assisting a photographer who is shooting an annual report for a corporate client. This option affords tons of experience in many different specialties and the opportunity to meet many different people. Also, it's a great way to learn the business side and DO the photo stuff first hand.