I agree that the order of Step 1 and 2 should be reverted, but how is Step 3 absolutely correct? The tier of the conference you should submit to depends on the content of the paper, not on the author/affiliation.
I don't think anybody's first paper will be accepted at a tier 1 conference. It takes practice to learn how to write a paper, not just in style but also the substance. In academia, your supervisors will typically help/guide you. It's going to be much harder on your own without any experience.