Where are you? Different rules apply for different countries’ unions.
On the whole, non-union actors get paid less than union. And in the US, you need to be Taft-Hartley’d before you get into SAG. AFTRA, which is the union for US TV and radio performers, have different rules, as does Equity, which is for stage performers. Having an agent would make process this easier, as their job is to help you find work, and if a director/casting director really has their heart set on you in the part, the paperwork for union membership is a no-brainer.
I would build up a roster of credits in as much non-union work in as many roles as I could get, even in industrial videos and so on, to build a reel. Do student films. Submit to agents for commercials. If any of your friends write and make sketches or something similar, act in those. If I wanted, I have work that I can put in as a reel. Get involved in any acting in your town at all, and have a friend shoot it. Write your own stuff and shoot it. Flip cameras are amazing these days. In New York, Chicago, and LA, people study improv and perform in improv groups (and personally, I believe that women of colour need to become more involved in this stuff so it isn’t so much a white guy post-college club, anyway).
In whatever filmed/videotaped work you do, get a copy of it, and have a friend edit the best part of your performances together into a reel. It’s proof that you’ve done the work.
The main thing for any actor to know about getting any work is that what most directors and casting directors are looking for in a performer on a project is a certain look. They have an idea of what they want the character in that role to look like, for better or worse, and if you don’t have that look, you had better knock one out of the park, performance-wise, in order to change their expectations on pre-conceived notions of the role. Otherwise, it’s no go. Good luck!
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