Hi Brett,
You are wise beyond your years. It IS good to have an alternate source of income, particularly when you're first getting started. No matter how long you've been in the biz, there are good months and bad months. Like a commission sales person, you need to plan and have a reserve if
VO is your only source of income. A lot of folks had probs during union strike.
I started in radio, so I had the base salary and done
VO on the side for years. That is not to say that I didn't make money as a plumber, stuffed animal sales person, carpet cleaner, and whatever else it took to make ends meet between radio jobs!
Radio was good because back in a time when it wasn't feasible for a talent to have a home studio... I had access to a studio. It was also fun!
OJT is the best training... so while you're still learning... if you have access to studio, why not volunteer for someone like AIRSLA? (info in V-ZINE) You'll do regular work for several hours a month, you'll love it, and you'll get OJT while serving the blind! Send them a sample of what you can do... but do it soon because their board of directors has to approve you and they meet again on Oct. 1. For info on airsla, check out V-ZINE at
http://voice-overs.com/voice-overs.com-vzine.pdf