It would be good if you come to think of the concept of what kind of portfolio you would like to have.
I didn't come up with a clear concept, so I spent a lot of time just looking for references.
Also, when I decided on a concept and started modeling people, I realized many limitations, and it was a lot of trial and error, such as deciding the concept again.
Before joining the portfolio production class, you should decide on a concept you want to do, and bring a reference that you will make as much as possible, which will save time.
Make a plan and go ahead. It seems that it will be much easier to work with a camera shot after rough modeling on what kind of scene to be composed.
I started a lot without a plan and threw it all over again.
Ask your teacher a lot of questions to see if you're going in the right direction (I've done it so many times that it bothers me...) I got a lot of help.
You can also use tutorials or YouTube created by the academy.