Will you most likely develop more career opportunities going to college for acting or theater compared to just doing community plays or getting plays in a big city?
Yes, more connections at decent acting programs than community theater. You can obviously make connections if you book big city work, but that is difficult if you don’t have connections already…
It’s a cumulative thing IMHO. You meet people at school and through summer work and via auditions and the more connections you have, the more likely they are to pay off. (Like if you know somebody from your spin class and they suddenly start volunteering at your soup kitchen you are more likely to become friends from two contacts than one, see what I mean?)
Completely agree with @Jkellynh17. D1 just graduated from an MT program and has friends from schools all over the country. She made professional contacts through master classes at school, summer stock, and summer programs, as well as meeting other students/young performers who are also in the business. Additionally, having an alumni network is really helpful.