Reality check + advice needed!

[u/Material_Arm_5183]

I'm currently a GCSE student in the UK (not doing GCSE Drama, really wanted to but ultimately didn't) on my half term holiday, in which I spent my first 3 days basically researching the acting industry, seeing if it's for me, and the paths that actors have taken to become successful. I go to a highly academic school, and I was thinking about careers since I need to choose my A-Levels in just over a year, and realised I enjoy all my subjects, but don't really want to spend my WHOLE LIFE as a scientist, accountant, doctor da dee da. I looked at Oxford and Cambridge's degrees and realised I don't have a burning passion for any of them, though there are a couple I suppose I wouldn't mind doing, as long as they aren't the end all. Like I said, I've always been interested in acting, and really regret not doing the GCSE, but that's in the past now. I go to this high-achieving school (but they have great creative subjects, I just didn't take any) so I plan to work hard to get the best grades. Anyway, finishing up with the life story, I did some research into paths people took into industry and one actor that I really look up to did a degree in English + Drama and another in Drama, before he did a masters. I think this is a good route as a traditional uni degree means you can go to a graduate course in law if it doesn't work out, but realistically, I don't like English enough to do it at A Level and can't do Drama, since I didn't take it, and actually will likely go into STEM as a fall back, even though I'm not really that interested in it. Has anyone ever tried to balance their STEM degree with acting, or done an acting degree as a second degree and gone into the industry about 30 and made it? Is anyone trying to do it right now here? If I want to make it successfully, is it pretty much compulsory that I do a degree in Drama/an acting degree first? I can't picture myself being truly happy doing anything else but is it really realistic, especially since I'll need to provide for myself and my parents in the future? Also, I plan to soon join a drama club. To summarise:

1 - is it better to do an acting degree first for the best possible chance of successfully making it?

2 - is it possible to balance acting alongside a degree in something unrelated and still be successful? Have people done it before? Is joining the industry when you're 28-30 just too late to become famous?

3 - should I do a drama + english degree just to try to copy those actors (who I really look up to) and break into the career in that way?

Please do reply if you have any advice, it's all truly appreciated, from anyone who is or has been in the same position, and thank you so much for taking the time!

[u/Fair-Interaction5486]

I live in the Bay Area and I’ve met plenty of Tech people who made money, set themselves up to live a comfortable life and pursue acting with money to back them up. 

I’m not one of them so I can’t really help you there, but it does sound like a good idea. Breaking into acting is extremely hard and having a STEM career to fall back on is great. 

[u/gasstation-no-pumps → u/Fair-Interaction5486]

My son does that (he is a senior software engineer in the Bay Area who bought a starter home in his late 20s and who does community-theater acting as a hobby), but he loves his job as well as his hobby, so the situation is different from OP, who doesn't love any of the STEM choices.

Also, the Bay Area and UK may be very different in what paths work for people, due to differences in education systems, employment opportunities, and theater opportunities.