Acting As a Career - Is it the Right Choice For You?
By Fei Lim

If you are interested in acting as a career, it is important that you take some time to research the career, what it's all about, the education that you'll need, and more. While you generally find that Los Angeles and New York are the homes of the big time actors, all over the world you'll find thousands of actors that work in theatres, local TV studios, and even film production companies. Just a few things you need to know about an acting career is the description of the job, the working conditions, the qualifications or education you'll need, the salary range, and the variety of opportunities that are available for actors today. So, take some time to read further to find out the important acting information you need.

Those who get involved in an acting career find that there are a variety of great vocational paths that they can follow, including film and theatre. Even without a whole lot of education, many people have been successful in this field. However, many actors do go through some type of acting education, such as a program that is offered at a university or at an acting conservatory. While education can be quite helpful, many actors do find a lot of great work based on their talent, and of course experience.

When it comes to the acting profession, while it often looks quite glamorous, there are many frustrating aspects to the profession as well. Some of the most frustrating things that actors often deal with on the job are rejection and competition. While many people see the glamorous part of the job, many of them don't think of how difficult the field can be. Most people want to get involved in acting because they think all people in the acting field live the lives that actors in Hollywood do. Unfortunately, this is far from the truth.

There are many different job opportunities out there for those who take up acting as a career, and while some do end up acting in major motion pictures and making it big in Hollywood, most actors don't end up working on this level. Most actors will end up in careers in radio, motion pictures, stage, video, or even in television. Many actors actually end up performing and getting much of their experience in places like nightclubs, cabarets, training films, educational films, commercials, and even theme parks. So, there are a variety of options available for those involved in the acting field.

In some cases, some actors may work their way up to get roles as supporting actors, while others end up working as movie extras. Some movie extras have no lines, while others may only have a few short lines to do. A variety of other options exist for those in the acting field as well, including computer games, animated features, books on tape, and other voiceover work. In some cases actors even take jobs teaching in universities, in schools, public programs, or in acting conservatories.

In the acting field, there are not only positions for actors, but some actors may go on to become directors or even producers. Directors are the ones that supply productions with creativity. There are often various type of directors, such as costume directors, music directors, and even choreography directors. There are assistant directors as well who may help with set changes, with cues for actors, or sound and light for pictures as well. Producers are basically the ones that oversee the entire movie, TV show, or theatre production. They often deal with the costs, the development, and also approve who is hired, including the actors, directors, and other members of the staff.

Of course most people are interested in the salary that a career has to offer, so let's take a look at the salaries that most actors really get. While many people think of actors receiving millions of dollars for being involved in movies, in reality most actors earn around $25,000 a year if they're on salary. It's only about 10% or so of the actors out there that make more than $100,000 each year.

So, if you are interested in a career in acting, there are definitely many great choices out there. However, if you want to make big bucks, this career may not be for you. Sure, you have the chance to hit it big, but remember that only about 10% of the people in this field ever do.