Step 1: Find out what it really means to pursue the career in acting you say you want to pursue. Talk to both working actors as well as those who have been struggling to get work or who have been working sporadically. You can learn what to do and what not to do from both groups. Learn what a typical day could look like, especially at the beginning of your career.

Step 2: Start reading up on acting techniques. They will help you to understand that there are different techniques that, first of all you will need to fall back on time and time again in order to be able to deliver consistently compelling performances and also how acting classes are conducted. You'll know what to expect and also have some basis on which to choose a school.

Step 3: Choose an acting school. If you have choices, don't just try and get in the first school you come to. Shop around, know what you expect from your training, interview teachers and ask lots of questions before choosing. Once you start studying the craft with reputed school like Child Actor LA Institute, count on continuing to do it for a good portion of your career.

Step 4: Study the industry. Learn how it works. Learn what agents and casting directors do and what they expect from actors and actresses. Learn why they are in the business they are in. Learn who casts the different projects there are. For example if you are in New York, you will want to know who casts for certain Broadway shows, for Law & Order, Guiding Light, as well as other even smaller projects. Learn about the different ways that actors can ensure their work gets seen.

Step 5: Learn some basic business skills. On my site for new and aspiring actors, I have listed and described only 10 of the 21 I wrote about in my book. However many you study, you need to know that first of all as an actor, you are a free-lance professional and as such, you must sell yourself in a positive way to your 'customers' (casting directors, agents, directors, producers, etc.)

Step 6: Start putting together some of your basic marketing materials: Headshot (commercial & legit (dramatic), Acting Résumé, Acting Cover Letter, Monologues (at least two: comical and dramatic), but you will probably need more. Now the concept of type begins to be more important, because you want all of these things I mentioned here to all communicate the same message about who you are as an actress/actor.

Step 7: Make sure you have a financial base! Many aspiring actors don't make it, because they don't think about this step at all before they throw themselves into the mix. An acting career can be a full-time or part-time thing. If you want it to be full-time, you MUST have the time to dedicate to it, because chances are in the first couple of years at least, you might not be making enough money to support yourself, so you will need either a base of money to fall back on or you will need to have streams of residual or passive income coming in so that you don't have to worry about how you will pay the rent.

Step 8: Try and get some experience: community theatre, low-budget theatre projects, student films, and indie films, background work on TV or in film. Background work is a great education in the beginning of your career AND you make a little money at the same time. The more you perform, the more comfortable you will feel.

Step 9: Now use your research of agents and of the industry to find the right agent for you. There are different ways to do that. You can meet agents (and casting directors generally) in a few different ways:

Do a mass TARGETED mailing with regular follow ups. When you do that though, start to understand and learn what the interview/meeting with the agent will be like so you know what to expect!
Meets and greets or Schools that hold seminars in which they let you audition. They do charge a fee, however.
Forums with casting directors and agents. Usually last a few hours and give you the chance to audition for and/or have a one to one meeting.
Showcases in which you perform. Industry professionals are usually invited to check out the talent.
Invite them to a show you are in, to see a television program or a movie you are in.

Step 10: Continue to study! Other than continuing to hone your technique, you will want to start boning up on your audition skills, monologue performance, cold reading skills, improve skills, etc.

Step 11: Now your business skills will come in handy, because now you must realize that you are the CEO of your own company, of your own brand. Your ability to market it or not, will have an effect on how successful your acting career turns out to be.

Child Actor LA Institute offers drama and performing arts classes for young aspirants. And the institute has exclusive placement with top Hollywood agents. If you want to learn more, contact at (949) 577 9255.