But in fact, you need to find something that you like to do, that will bring in a decent income, and that you can do while you spend those years it takes to build a career. Many actors wind up taking a job as a waiter or an office temp, because they offer decent pay and some flexibility. All goes well for a while, but if you're good at your job, before long it becomes harder and harder to leave. If you're a key member of the wait staff, the restaurant manager doesn't want to hear that you're doing a showcase, so you can't work weekends for the next month. There is an emotional toll to pay, too.
Most actors find their support jobs an under use of their skills.
The challenge for you as an actor is to create a support job which will be gratifying, will use your skills and intelligence, will provide enough income for rent, food, etc., and will still be flexible enough that you can continue to pursue your primary goal of becoming a working actor. For examples, an L.A. actor who started his own accounting firm to do taxes for other actors as a means of creating a steady income for himself. He now has an established practice, with enough help in his office so that he can leave to do a film or theatre job. The good news is that the communications explosion which we're experiencing as we move into the 21st Century is a prime opportunity for creative solutions to the actor's perennial problem. If you are a young actor now entering college, you might be well advised to look over the business and computer courses in your college catalogue, in addition to its theatre offerings.