How do I become an apologist?
The short answer
Read solid introductory material, subscribe to orthodox Catholic periodicals, and study as much as you can. Proficiency comes only with real experience, and your parish, "the pre-eminent place for catechesis," is the best place to put your study to use.
Read introductory guides such as Catholic Answers' "Apologist's Bookshelf" and "Starting Out as an Apologist," subscribe to orthodox Catholic periodicals, and study as much as you can. Apologetics is a distinctive discipline; proficiency comes only after substantial experience in live situations and one-on-one discussions.
Put your study to good use in your own parish, for example in RCIA or CCD. Catechesi Tradendae calls the parish "the pre-eminent place for catechesis." Think of the good you can do drawing others into a deeper relationship with Christ and his Church. In Christifideles Laici (61), John Paul II says the parish has the essential task of the more personal and immediate formation of the lay faithful: because it can reach individuals and groups more easily, it is called to teach its members to hear God's word, to converse with God in liturgy and personal prayer, to live fraternal charity, and to perceive concretely the Church's communion and their share in its mission.
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