What do you get in life from acting

There is a valuable piece of information missing.

Why do you want to be an actor?

If it's for fame and fortune, then take your parents' advice. Being that type of actor is like hitting the lottery. You will be judged on not only talent, but appearance. Training and execution is no guarantee. And unless you take on another role in the industry, you can age out.

But if you want to be an actor, a true actor, one who studies his craft like any painter, writer, musician - who sacrifices countless hours to rehearsal for a desire to be true to the work; who doesn't mind getting by on next to nothing, working odd jobs to stay afloat, or auditioning 500 times without success and not letting it get you down; who has a thick enough skin to be told you are too: fat, skinny, tall, short, old, young, with the wrong hair, teeth, nose, knees, eye color,; or are just being passed over for the producer's nephew/niece. You will be rejected more than accepted.

I would never change my path despite working rarely. It is still what my heart drives me to do and brings me happiness. So, how much do you want it?

You can't go into the world in any field and be thinking about your "fallback". You have to plan on succeeding. But there are several other studies that can help you succeed.

If you want to work in Theatre, you should spend a summer stage managing. You will not only learn what the job truly entails, bit you will see actors differently, and it will make you a better actor to work with. On the Film side, be a production assistant. Learn everything that goes into the set-up before the actor walks on set. You will have a better appreciation of what it takes for one single shot - and how prepared you need to be as an actor to get the shot that's needed.

There are plenty of other jobs related to being an actor that only make you better. If you learn to shoot your own films, produce your own shows, or write your own scripts, then you will always have work. You may be " getting by" financially, but if you love it, that won't matter.

So if you need to sell the ides, "I can teach once I have my Masters." But reaching that degree is not easy. You have to love it . . .

Because it will not always love you.

You get to make a difference in someone's life. Change a circumstance or enlighten, inspire and encourage somebody. It's gives you a sense of freedom to express yourself through creativity. I hope this helps. Peace and Blessings.

Even if you decide that you don't want to be a full time actor, you don't have to completely dismiss the idea of still being an actor. I develop websites as a computer scientist and yet, I am also an actor. Acting is my hobby, my pass time (well, one of them). I can honestly say that being an actor has actually helped me with my job as a computer scientist. Not that I'm better at programming, but I am better with people. there's a great article that talks about this here:

https://tomvanderwell.wordpress.com/2012/01/16/10-ways-being-a-theatre-major-prepared-me-for-success/

Acting, and theater help me understand people, relate to people, and communicate with people. So even if you don't pursue acting as a full time career, I encourage you to at least pursue it on the side. It can be stressful trying to work a full time job and be in a show, and not every show will be able to accommodate people with full time jobs. If you find one with evening rehearsals though, and if you limit yourself to a few shows a year, you can enjoy acting and only have short periods of super stressful times.

Working as an actor allows you to bring life to characters that have existed in plays for sometimes hundreds of years. It can be a celebration of all of the things that make us human, crossing cultures, eras and many other walks of life, while exploring the range of human emotions. It requires courage, dedication, and a thick skin, but success and satisfaction are possible.