GOING TO HOLLYWOOD to be a film actor. my FEAR, HELP?!

[RonaldW]

if i go to hollywood, get a part time job, and constantly going to auditions, and keep getting rejected, Lets say you keep doing that for 2 or 3 years, and you feel that your not getting anywhere. lets say u even dropped out of college before going to hollywood, lets say you fail to get any kinda film role, and your not getting paid for acting, and u start to go poor, WOW, I DONT EVER WANT TO END UP LIKE THAT, that is SO scary. while everyone else is back home going to college, getting their degrees, i wasted 2 to 3 years of my life in hollywood trying to be a film actor but failed and im so left behind in college and everything. lets say im going broke, WHAT DO I DO? and for my back up plan, when do you know when to use the back-up plan, use it if i get rejected at least 50 times? or...? how do i know when i have officially failed in hollywood. how do i know when to use my back-up plan? and if i have being auditioning in hollywood for years and failed to be a successful actor, wouldn't that be a BIG waste of my life. i would feel like i have wasted 2 to 3 years of my life trying to get somewhere but failed. and all im doing is working in a part time job and auditioning and maybe taking some acting classes or maybe going to an acting college at the same time? so WHAT do i do if this happens? or how could i prevent this from happening? it would be a BIG disappointment, i would be depressed like hell if this ever happens to me!

and by the way, would it be a good idea to go to an acting college in LA somewhere, and have a part time job, and audition for movies at the same time?

and im just so scared about going to hollywood by myself, because my family and friends dont really support me. i get sad and scared everytime i think about this. and i dont know ANYONE in hollywood or LA. and living there by myself is scary, im scared of loneliness. i dont know how to survive living there by myself.

umm, im thinking about getting a degree in film acting or drama, but i was looking forward of starting my film career early when im still young,
after i get my degree, wouldn't i be like 24 by then? wouldnt it take a while to get the degree?

[DM]

If you were my kid I would beg you to go to college first and major in drama and minor in something you can get a job with. Your degree IS the backup plan. If your parents will help you attend school in LA, all the better.

It's normal to be frightened of change, but have a viable plan that your friends and family members cannot dispute. Then you'll know you're doing the right thing.

Talk to your high school drama teachers, they will be an excellent source of advice on the best way to proceed.

[RoryD]

You need to think positively. Will Smith camped outside a television studio for a year if I remember right just to try and make a few contacts. It paid off for him. My personal advice is go to Broadway. You've got a better chance of making it there than you do Hollywood. But if your passion is films then by all means go to Hollywood.
You really won't know unless you try. But you obviously won't get a job straight away or if you do, You'll have to work your way up the ladder. It'll probably be an extra job. But all experience counts in showbiz. There really is no way to do it without trying.
It's a fear everyone has. You just need to take that leap.

Best of luck to you. I really hope it works out for you.