- It is very difficult to make a living being an actor.
- If it is someone's passion, let them pursue their dream. If it doesn't work out, they will move on to something else. I would rather my child be happy studying something they are passionate about in college rather than be miserable studying a subject they hate because they think they should.
- You do not have to attend one of the top 10 colleges mentioned above to make it as an actor. These are all great schools. I think their biggest benefit is their alumni network and their industry connections. This can help in getting started. But you can make it from anywhere. And you can have a "plan B" from anywhere. At the end of the day, you are still getting a college degree.
- There are plenty of theater majors who have gone on to be lawyers, doctors, teachers, politicians, marketing geniuses, businessmen, etc... a theater undergraduate degree does not preclude you from going to graduate school for any profession.
The college audition process will be one way to determine if he is competitive with others in the field. If you are not sure, I would recommend applying to some auditioned and some non-auditioned schools so you hopefully have options on where to go at the end of the day. When he is participating in college auditions he will see the talent he is up against and that may confirm his desire to act or may make him run the other way. But let him give it a try. He may just be the next big thing. But if you don’t let him at least try, you’ll never know.