Pursuing a Career as an Extra?

deviladvocate

I'm back!!! 

I started a thread just under a year ago on something similar, but circumstances are a little different this time, so would like to hear people's opinions..

Last year, I was fairly annoyed in my job, overworked, underpaid, etc etc, the usual complaints... I had been saving holidays to do work as an extra on a TV show, then got told no when I tried to take an extended time off to film. Surprisingly pro-feck the job attitude in most responses on here, and I decided yeah, feck the job, and went for it. When the company realised I was very serious about potentially quitting to go do it, they accomodated it, and when I came back afterwards, there was a few months where some higher ups were a bit dickish, but overall I've been treated much better, gotten a decent payrise, and while it can still be very stressful at times I am overall happier in the job. Still don't love it, but I also don't hate it!
I'm also part time running something small outside of my normal job.
Still no kids/mortgage, in mid-late 20s.

But... I love being an extra!! It's awesome work, with loads of interesting people... It's not really a job but you get paid for it anyway. And up here in the North it seems to be booming at the minute. The risk obviously being, how long will that last? And I'm more concerned about long term repercussions this time.

So here's my pros/cons list

Pros:
It's something I love doing
It's not full time, so will have more free time - both as personal free time, and to spend on my own little part time thing
If filming boom continues and I get a lot of work out of it, it's a dream come true!
If it goes bad - can always go abroad for a year or 2, which I've been itching to do for quite a while
If it goes bad - takes me out of my comfort zone - have had a few ideas I've considering pursuing, but never put the real effort into getting them off the ground, where I know I will if I have to
I'm very well qualified and actually good at my job, so I like to think I'd be able to find another job easily enough (its very surprising how many people in the same line of work are completely bluffing their way through it, there's a shortage of skilled workers and so they get to keep the job anyway)
Have a decent amount of savings to keep me going should I be stuck for a while (not really a pro, more an emergency backup)

Cons:
It's a big loss in guaranteed income
Confident in a decent amount of work over the next year, not so sure after that
Timing is bad, if I was to take the offer I've been given, it would leave my current company really understaffed at a very busy time - would likely ruin any chance of getting back in with them.
Have been advised that it will look bad when applying for another job - ie. any potential employer who calls my current employer as a reference will likely hear "he's good, but not reliable, will just feck off and do his own thing"
Potential issues with borrowing money (loans/mortgages) down the line

TL/DR
Is short term amazing job worth potential long term hassle?
Or is long term hassle likely not as bad as certain people are trying to convince me?