[Aßbiscuits]

Not really!

But, I settled with an answer. I need feedback on my plan because I haven't told anyone about this. I don't want to spend ANOTHER YEAR in school to do the college course I had set out for me (and I mean there was no doubt I was getting into this college until the teachers changed their mind and put me into classes that no longer suffice the requirements I needed).

So....I've been doing ballet since I was four, I can sing (but apparently I sing like a boy who sings like a girl) I have plenty confidence, nerves of steal, I'm articulate, verbally fluent, very very comfortable and energized by an audience and even more comfortable on stage than in most areas in my life. I should act right? It's risky, it's not practical but there's a two year course I can do to get me going.

I've been in plays before, I get so immersed in what I'm doing, I become the character. I can do accents, I can even improvise.

I want to drop out of school and do this. This is the only dream I have left now.

Should I do it?

 

[Aßbiscuits]

Gaiety School of Acting - Courses

There's the school.

 

[lylyness]

As a theater student, I think I can offer some perspective on this.

I want to differentiate between "acting" and "musical theater" programs. In an academic sense, they are EXTREMELY different.

Singing, dancing, and being articulate really say nothing of your acting ability. Acting is its own art form entirely and it's more literary than anything. It's completely different from singing and dancing in that it's all about generating emotions from a text and then using your body as a vehicle to tell a story and interpret a character. Singing and dancing will not help you in an acting program.

So it concerns me that the logic that brought you do "I should act" had nothing to do with its literary roots or a deep, intellectual relationship with theater.

Musical theater is completely different. A dramatic lit/acting snob will tell you musical theater lacks depth and represents mindless, fun entertainment rather than any meaningful commentary on the human condition. In other words, it's about the music and presence and creating "an experience" for the audience. Musical theater people will say acting people have a stick up their ass and take theater too seriously. For them it's about the audience enjoying themselves. They're more about the sound of applause and praise, less than performing for its own sake. Character study is less in depth and generally lighter. Think improv games and learning to exaggerate your emotions. Acting's more like reading a book about Alexander Technique or Mask Technique and self-exploration to come totally in sync with your emotions.

If what you have in mind is more glamorous, fun, lively, exciting, whatever-- musical theater's probably a better bet for you. I don't necessarily agree that it's less intellectually stimulating or inferior to straight drama, but musical theater seems more like what you're thinking of.

This is an acting program you're looking at. That means intense acting and drama -- intense scene study, heavy character analysis, hours and hours perfecting your speech. Again, I just want to emphasize how much more literary it is than musical theater. I know people who grew up with musical theater backgrounds and then went into acting and thought it was boring.

Another way to put it:
Musical theater is about performing and entertaining. It's fun.
Acting is about telling a story. It's more "intellectual," for lack of a better term.

Another point: If you are serious about acting/musical theater/whatever, you really need to evaluate what formal training will yield you. For nonperformance majors (technical, stage management, dramatic lit, etc) it's more essential, but for performance a lot of already talented people don't have a ton to gain from it. It's more about meeting people and networking with faculty. When Robin Williams went to Julliard, a professor told him to drop out because there's was nothing more to teach him. Really. So if you're already confident in your abilities, you may be better off going out and trying to get some experience. It sucks, but most actors do the auditions-by-day-waitress-by-night thing. If you do want the education I would suggest going part-time. Experience will get you to meet people who will get you more jobs. The degree/certificate doesn't get you all that far alone.

I don't need to tell you it's a risky career and very very hard to break into. I've acted since I was eight and I know I'm very talented -- but professional acting isn't for me. I hate the audition process and feeling like a number, but even more I hate putting up with directorial bullshit. People are surprised by how low on the totem pole actors really are in a production. And you need to grin and bear it because you are extremely replaceable. It's just not an environment I could see myself living in forever.

These are all things to think about, I guess. I'm personally planning to get into casting or talent management to meet people while writing plays on the side. My major is technically dramatic lit and playwriting (with a second major in Marketing.) I hope I don't sound discouraging, I just want you to know what you're getting into.

 

[KrystRay]

Don't do it. All my friends who went to LA to become actresses or models ended up being porn stars. Unless you have some serious connections, or if you want to do independent film festivals forever, stay in school. If you finish school, persue your dream. If you fail, at least then you'll have something to fall back on. I joined the military before I graduated college and I'd still only make like $10/hour if I didn't get my degree. Be realistic. What are the chances that you're going to make it as an actress without the connections?

 

[Jojo]

Agreed. You should always have a back-up. Heck.... If I could only be in school forever.....

 

[Hardstyler]

There's nothing wrong with being a stripper if your good it will pay for you college
*troll mode off*
but really dropping out of school is never a good idea always believe in yourself that all you need to succeed.

 

[thehigher]

Not really!

But, I settled with an answer. I need feedback on my plan because I haven't told anyone about this. I don't want to spend ANOTHER YEAR in school to do the college course I had set out for me (and I mean there was no doubt I was getting into this college until the teachers changed their mind and put me into classes that no longer suffice the requirements I needed).

So....I've been doing ballet since I was four, I can sing (but apparently I sing like a boy who sings like a girl) I have plenty confidence, nerves of steal, I'm articulate, verbally fluent, very very comfortable and energized by an audience and even more comfortable on stage than in most areas in my life. I should act right? It's risky, it's not practical but there's a two year course I can do to get me going.

I've been in plays before, I get so immersed in what I'm doing, I become the character. I can do accents, I can even improvise.

I want to drop out of school and do this. This is the only dream I have left now.

Should I do it?

Nah you should be a stripper.



kidding.


But no i agree ... go for acting.... I've always wanted to.... and ..... well...... I don't know why I don't

 

[Black Rabbit]

I can relate to your frustrations. If I'm able to read between the lines, I would say you sound stressed. I can relate to that too.

Before you make any big decisions do something that'll clear your mind completely. Change your routine for the day, destress and come back to it.

So....I've been doing ballet since I was four, I can sing (but apparently I sing like a boy who sings like a girl) I have plenty confidence, nerves of steal, I'm articulate, verbally fluent, very very comfortable and energized by an audience and even more comfortable on stage than in most areas in my life. I should act right? It's risky, it's not practical but there's a two year course I can do to get me going.

^This is why. You built a convincing argument of why you should make a decision and layered it with evidence. I do the same thing (maybe it's our Te) and sometimes it comes back to haunt me. If our ENTJ minds work the same, we'll only build more evidence until we convince everyone and even ourselves that this is the best choice - even if it isn't.

Speaking as an ENTJ who's made mistakes in career paths, clear your mind, and then reevaluate all your options. Best of luck.

 

[Angel1412kaitou]

Stick with it until it's over, THEN CHASE THAT DREAM! ^^ Now you can learn more about it in your free time.

 

[mrsj213]

I believe you should stick school out and not just give up on it all together. If you stick it out while auditioning for roles and you get one, great, take it! If not, then you will have something to fall back on and a degree that will help get you a job (since most jobs require college now) and provide for a family.

 

[Aßbiscuits]

You're late!

I already applied to a Computer Science and Business course for college. I'll just do what I can, I don't have a plan anymore, it sucks, I was rushed into making a decision because they fucked up my options.

 

[SyndiCat]

But let's say you WERE going to become a stripper,
would you mind leaving me a note as to where you would work?

I say we cast a vote,
everyone who thinks Aideen should become a stripper
say "Aye".
Everyone who thinks Aideen should continue school
go away.

 

[LotusBlossom]

I *did* work as a stripper for a while, after I finished uni, so no judgement here.

You're going to meet a lot of dicks(NOT literally...omg lol) along the way, though, so you need to grow skin several inches thick. It's not as easy as you likely think but as a TJ you might fare a lot better than I did.

 

[CynicallyNaive]

...dropping out of school is never a good idea...

I don't believe this. I don't have the depth of experience working with people for whom this was a good option, but i'm fairly certain they exist.

 

[Aßbiscuits]

I don't actually want to be a stripper, I was thinking of acting because it felt like the only option left, despite what the title says I never said anything about wanting to be a stripper, I'm not looking down on anyone it's just not for me. Plus, I don't want men ogling over me, no fucking way, I don't want to turn men on, maybe if I was straight. I'm more academic than kinesthetic (lack of better word). I'm too clumsy and not sexy enough. I just didn't work very hard in school, I'm capable of doing well in academics.

Also, I'm not a TJ, I'm an FJ. I don't mind doing computer science and business and thanks to how hard I've been working I can get into the course easily and it would suit me. I'd love to make games especially or work with any kind of computing company, this course could get me into being an IT manager, it seems a lot more practical than other college courses seeing as it'll more than likely get me a job. Over here software engineers walk into jobs after college and earn a lot, which is what I want to do more than do a job I enjoy. I still wish I had more time and more options after they turned things upside down for me.

I still wouldn't mind acting, but I was in a weird state of mind when writing starting this thread. Dropping out of school shouldn't have these kind of consequences, everyone has a fucking college degree and they're still useless.

 

[coder25]

@CynicallyNaive: Going to school and college is the "safe" option. To make it without them, you need to be talented and willing to work hard. Personally, I'd only agree to someone dropping out if I thought he/she was intelligent enough and really motivated to do whatever it takes.

@Aßbiscuits: While the computer field can be very rewarding, it can also be pretty stressful. It all depends on what you're doing. You mentioned making games. That's probably one of the most stressful jobs in CS. There are always tight deadlines to meet and the job is highly technical (lot of math (think multivariable calculus), physics, assembly level optimizations etc). Many times you'd end up having to manage code that someone else wrote, which if badly written can make want to find that guy and kill him.
It all depends on where you work, what you work on and the culture of the company. Google, Facebook and certain other startups have incredible work environments (you need to be really good to get in though).

 

[Aßbiscuits]

What job is perfect?

I've looked into this enough, I know it's not all rainbows and chocolate.

 

[coder25]

What job is perfect?

Well, I believe you can have great jobs if you're willing to look for it.

I've looked into this enough, I know it's not all rainbows and chocolate.

That's great cause I know a lot of people who've jumped into stuff for superficial reasons (money, location, status etc) and then start cribbing a couple of years later.

 

[Aßbiscuits]

Well, I believe you can have great jobs if you're willing to look for it.


That's great cause I know a lot of people who've jumped into stuff for superficial reasons (money, location, status etc) and then start cribbing a couple of years later.

The money does look great .

Once it's rewarding I'm happy, I'm already trying to learn some C++. There's also a lot of maths in the business part of it that doesn't look too exciting but it's the best option I could think up of and I'm glad I found it. I don't think I'll regret it too much.

 

[Black Rabbit]

Practical jobs with good paychecks are not always rewarding if you're a single person with an imagination. If you have obligations and responsibilities then of course, paychecks are most important.

But be happy in what you do, don't let pragmatism be a factor in decision making. You only live once after all.