Should You Study Something Sensible and Do Acting on the Side?
It is one of the most common questions aspiring actors ask:
Should I go back to university, get a “proper” degree, and do acting classes on the side? Or should I commit more directly to acting training?
A recent Reddit thread from someone in Glasgow asks almost exactly that, weighing up a psychology degree plus evening acting classes against college acting study and asking whether RCS short acting courses are good. The replies push hard towards the “safe” option: keep the degree, keep acting on the side, have a backup, and avoid putting all your eggs in one basket.
And on one level, that advice sounds sensible.
Stable, mature, responsible.
But there is a problem with it.
Sometimes “sensible” is genuinely wise.
And sometimes “sensible” is just fear dressed up as strategy.
Let’s be fair first
There are absolutely situations where doing acting on the side makes sense.
If you are halfway through a degree, drowning in uncertainty, financially stretched, or genuinely unsure whether acting is a serious ambition or just a strong interest, then yes — it may be perfectly reasonable to continue with your degree and train part-time alongside it.
That is not foolish.
That is one route.
But that is not the same as saying it is the best route for someone who is genuinely serious about becoming an actor.
And this is where people blur things.
Because “you can do acting on the side” is not the same sentence as “doing acting on the side will give you the strongest possible training.”
Those are very different claims.
The fantasy of the backup plan
The backup-plan argument is attractive because it calms people down.
Get your degree. Keep your options open. Train in the evenings. Do some plays. Be practical. Be safe.
All understandable.
But here is the harder truth:
A backup plan can protect you financially, but it can also divide your energy, dilute your training, and keep acting in the category of “maybe one day” rather than “this is the craft I am seriously building now.”
That matters.
Because acting is not one of those things you master through vague loyalty. It usually rewards depth, repetition, immersion, pressure, feedback, and time.
If your main life is somewhere else, and acting gets whatever is left over after lectures, assignments, travel, work, fatigue, and general life admin, then you may be keeping the dream alive — but you may not be building it very powerfully.
That is the uncomfortable bit people often avoid.
Part-time classes can be valuable — but they are not the same as serious full-time training
This is where clarity matters.
Part-time acting classes can be excellent.
They can help you begin.
They can sharpen your instincts.
They can build confidence.
They can expose you to text, monologues, character work, scene work, and performance.
And for some people, they are exactly the right first step.
But let’s not kid ourselves.
Part-time classes are not the same thing as being in a serious, high-contact, demanding full-time training environment.
They do not usually give you the same:
intensity
consistency
tutor contact
feedback volume
rehearsal rhythm
developmental pressure
speed of growth
That is not criticism. It is just reality.
So if you are genuinely torn between “acting on the side” and “committing properly,” the real question is not which option sounds safer.
It is which option gives you the strongest chance of developing into a much better actor.
What people often mean when they ask this
Usually, this question is not only about logistics.
It is about fear.
It often means:
What if I commit and I’m not good enough?
What if I choose acting and regret it?
What if I choose the safer route and always wonder?
What if I’m serious, but not serious enough?
What if I want acting, but I also want reassurance?
All fair.
But if that is what is really going on, then the answer is not just “pick the backup.”
The answer is to be honest about what you actually want.
Because if acting is just an interest, keep it on the side.
If acting is the thing that keeps tugging at you, the thing you keep circling back to, the thing you do not want to make a half-hearted run at, then you at least need to admit that a side-route may not satisfy you.
If you are serious, seriousness should show up in your choices
This is the bit people do not always want to hear.
If you say you are serious about acting, but you consistently choose the least immersive, least demanding, least risky version of pursuing it, then at some point you have to ask whether your choices match your words.
That does not mean everyone must instantly drop everything and run to drama school tomorrow.
It does mean serious ambition deserves serious thought.
Because strong actor training is not just about “doing some classes.” It is about entering an environment where:
acting is central
standards are clear
contact is regular
expectations are high
growth is demanded
excuses run out quickly
That sort of environment changes people faster.
That is why full-time training matters.
When a “sensible” degree makes sense
A psychology degree or another non-acting degree can make sense if:
you genuinely want that subject in its own right
you are not yet sure acting is the path
you need time to grow in confidence
you want academic and professional options outside acting
you intend to train seriously alongside it and are realistic about the slower pace
Those are valid reasons.
But “it sounds more responsible” is not always enough on its own.
Because plenty of people do the sensible thing, keep acting on the side, and then spend years frustrated that acting never became central enough to move properly.
Again: possible route, yes.
Strongest route for a serious aspiring actor, not always.
When more direct actor training makes sense
A more direct acting route makes sense when:
you already know acting is not just a hobby
you want concentrated development
you want more intensity and momentum
you are ready to be stretched properly
you want training that treats acting like a craft, not an extracurricular activity
you do not want to spend years wondering whether you should have committed earlier
That is where full-time training, serious conservatoire-style teaching, or a stronger professional acting environment starts to make much more sense.
Because if you know what you want, there is an argument for choosing the route that actually builds it properly.
The real question is not “Which route sounds safer?”
It is:
What am I trying to optimise for?
If you are optimising for maximum security, then yes — the sensible degree plus side classes may win.
If you are optimising for strongest actor development, highest immersion, fastest growth, and the deepest engagement with the craft, then a more serious training route is often the stronger answer.
Those are different goals.
People get into trouble when they pretend they are chasing one while structuring their life around the other.
A more honest way to decide
Ask yourself:
Do I want acting to be something I do around the edges of my life?
Or do I want acting to become the centre of my training and development for a serious period of time?
Neither answer is immoral.
But they are not the same answer.
And they will not produce the same results.
Final thought
There is nothing wrong with studying something practical and doing acting on the side.
But there is also nothing automatically noble or wise about choosing the safer path if what you really want is stronger actor training.
A backup plan can be useful.
It can also become a hiding place.
So if you are trying to decide between a sensible degree with evening classes and a more serious acting route, stop asking only which option sounds more responsible.
Ask which option actually matches your ambition.
Because if you are serious about acting, there comes a point where “on the side” stops sounding sensible and starts sounding small.
Train Seriously at Acting Coach Scotland
If acting is more than something you want to squeeze in around the edges of your week, Acting Coach Scotland offers a stronger route.
With part-time acting classes, full-time acting training, and drama school audition coaching in Glasgow, we help aspiring actors move from vague intention to serious development.
If you are torn between keeping acting on the side and committing properly, start by asking which environment will actually help you grow.
