Hi everyone, so I understand the general consensus is that we are all supporting ourselves by working full time SOMEWHERE so we can pursue our dreams - how is this actually possible if you're gone 8 hours everyday from let's say - 8 to 4? I don't have a problem getting a job necessarily, but it's more of WHEN will I make time for it. i'm a full time worker with a minimum of 40hours each week and am planning on moving to LA. I'm lucky to be in a field were jobs are available but since I'm Canadian I need to work full time.. but I'm worried I'll move to LA and have a 'survivial' job but never actually have time for what I wen there for - acting!

So.. are auditions mostly in evenings/afternoons? Or during weekends? Will it be smarter to get a night work shift so you can audition during the day and sacrifice sleep?? There's also classes you have to make time for and on-set time(if you get to do something)... and HOW is this possible with a full time job???

I'm not sure how the whole time management thing works.. but if anybody could shed a light on this matter, I thank you in advance.

Auditions are in the daytime and afternoons which means you need a night job or one with flexible hours. Many actors work as waiters/waitresses. I know a few that are good looking/tall/young enough to work as models and they seem to do pretty good since they don't work 40 hrs a week and seem to make quite a lot of money. As for me I have a corporate job that lets me work from home and work whenever I want so I'm always free for anything.

Others that have jobs where they have to be somewhere just have to tell their boss they aren't "feeling good" and go home when they have an audition. If you have a cool boss they might let you take time off to audition; mine let me work from home so you never know.

Acting classes are during the day and night... If you work during the day you go to class at night, if you work nights you go to class during a day. Classeare only 4 hours max so it's very possible if you work 8-5 and then go to class from 7-11 PM or go to class from 10-2 int he afternoon and work nights...

I know here (what I notice/hear), a lot of auditions (union) probably happen during the business hours on weekdays and non union happen after 5pm on weekdays and on weekends.Shooting for most non union stuff happen during the weekends and those 3-4 day weekends.

No one said pursuing what you want was gonna be easy. A lot of us have run into this issue. First and foremost, assess your budget, decide what you can live with and what you can do without. Prepare that you may be uncomfortable or have some withdrawal symptoms taking luxury items like payTV out of the equation. How much do you need to survive? Once you get all that figured out, then on to the issue of work. Some people work nights, or find a job that has flexible hours, like bartending, pet sitting, babysitting, and night jobs such as security or even retail. If you have experience working in a law firm, they have third shifts, or night shifts. You can submit your resume to law firms by using something called Martindale Hubbell (www.martindale.com) that lists law firms in all fifty states and what their contact information is and what their specialties are.

Most auditions are during the day, before 5 pm.

If you are doing nonunion work, most of the work is during the week in NYC with some on the weekend, but not as much.

In my experience, retail for me was NOT flexible. I had bosses who expected that you devote yourself to the company (It was partially the reason I had to drop out of a play) but they ended up betraying me and wrongfully terminating me. What are some retail jobs that ARE okay with your real career, especially when some of them don't treat you like a person anymore?