How to become an Actor: education, training and skills.
The typical entry path BLS lists for the occupation, what O*NET publishes about experience, the skills to build first, and the stepping-stone roles that lead in.
- Education
- Some college, no degree
- Related work experience
- None
- On-the-job training
- Long-term on-the-job training
O*NET publishes no worker survey of required education for this occupation; the education level shown is BLS's typical entry level.
BLS lists some college, no degree as the typical entry-level education for actors in the United States (Employment Projections, 2025–35), with no work experience in a related occupation and long-term on-the-job training (more than 12 months) to become competent. O*NET places the job in Job Zone 1-2 of 5 (very little to some preparation); O*NET publishes no worker survey of required education for this occupation. Among workers O*NET surveyed, the most common answer for related work experience was “no related experience needed” (53%).
Steps to becoming an Actor
Data Steps 1 to 3 are BLS Employment Projections data; skills and tools are O*NET; the last step is advice.
- EducationPlan for some college, no degree
The typical entry-level education BLS lists for the occupation (Employment Projections, 2025–35). Typical, not a legal requirement.
- TrainingExpect long-term on-the-job training (more than 12 months)
BLS's typical on-the-job training to become competent in the occupation.
- ExperienceRelated experience
BLS: no work experience in a related occupation is typical. Most common answer among workers O*NET surveyed: no related experience needed (53%).
- SkillsBuild the core skills
Reading Comprehension, Speaking, Active Listening are rated most important (O*NET).
- ToolsLearn the tools
Facebook, TikTok, Linux.
- CredentialsCheck licensing where you live
Many occupations need a state license or certification. Requirements vary by state, so confirm with your state's licensing board.
What workers report
Data Share of workers giving each answer, O*NET.
O*NET Job Zone 1-2 (Very Little to Some Preparation Needed): Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience. For example, landscaping and groundskeeping workers might require very little training or previous experience, while agricultural equipment operators can benefit from on-the job training.
How this page is built
Typical entry-level education, related work experience and on-the-job training are BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 categories for the occupation (BLS: Actors). Job Zone, the experience and training shares, skills and tools come from O*NET 31.0; O*NET publishes no education survey for this occupation. Stepping-stone roles use our skill-match score: Skill match is the cosine similarity of the two occupations' skill profiles: for each of 35 O*NET skills (10 essential, 25 transferable) we multiply importance by level and subtract the average across all occupations, then compare the direction of the two profiles. 100 means identical shape; 0 means unrelated or opposite (negative values are shown as 0). Only occupations that O*NET itself lists as related are compared.
- Licensing rules in your state.
- Requirements at a specific employer.
- How long the path will take you personally.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program, Occupational projections, 2025–35 (released Aug 27, 2026; occupation.xlsx, Tables 1.2 and 1.10; retrieved Oct 25, 2026). Definitions.
- O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. TryHired selected, ranked and combined the data; O*NET is not responsible for these pages.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 estimates (public domain).
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