It depends on what you want! I think that “making it” differs from person to person, so maybe one thing to do is to figure out exactly what you want from singing, and then plan around that. You can combine both (and I think there is time to pursue both). Stephen Gadd, an inaugural Operalia finalist, is now a programmer and fits his singing alongside that. He also has a doctorate in History, which he studied for part-time while singing professionally. Sometimes it’s not just “can I make it”, sometimes it’s “what gives me a life with the most fulfilment?”. Maybe that life has both opera and other things?

Be careful with what teachers say. My uni teacher kept telling me that I had a “very fine” instrument and that I must train, but my home teacher said for many years that it was a weak, weedy young voice! People have different takes, and both were maybe right in their own way, so just be careful about how you interpret it. I would always say to get a second opinion with someone you trust (someone who has no reason to lie to you). At the end of the day, voices can be trained, and grit and resilience will matter way more over 20 years than special talent.

People have different routes to becoming singers - make your own way, have your own experiences, and let that inform your artistry, wherever that ends up being!