Get a Proper Education by Attending the Right Animation School

If you are interested in animation, choosing a reputable animation college can put you light years ahead of the competition.  Regardless of the specific animation career, going to school to prepare for life in the real world is a great first step to getting a proper education and building a foundation of expertise.  If you're early on in the process then you'll want to thoroughly research animation schools available to you and make sure you select the university that best fits your personal needs.

Life after College

Although one or two examples of jobs in animation may immediately come to mind, in reality there are many careers that you can achieve after attending animation school. The following is an overview of some of the jobs that animation schools may prepare you for, including the reasons that attending a school catered to animation can help you land the best jobs in the industry.

Animators

There are really several types of animators, but many animators do it all. The simplest type of animation (that's not really simple at all!) is 2-D animation which involves drawing the animation with a pencil and paper, and is a difficult art to learn. However, more common today is 3-D animation which adds into the mix the need for computers. In addition to having most of the same skill as 2-D animators, 3-D animators must be skilled in the use of software programs such as PhotoShop, SoftImage, and others. All of these skills can be learned in the proper educational environment.  College classes, which provide up to date information on the latest technology in design, drawing, lighting, clean-up, are a perfect spot to learn and hone your skill set as you'll get lots of practice working with the latest software and tools.

Storyboard Creators

Storyboards are visual scripts that show what will happen in an animation scene through sketches, which eventually become screen shots. Creating storyboards is a difficult job that involves much more that just drawing characters in little boxes on a poster board. Few people can be successful in this career without some degree of formal schooling and even then most professional storyboard artists serve as assistants first to learn the ropes.

Video Game Animators

Video Game Animators do similar work to movie animators, but working on video games is slightly different in that animators must bring characters with sometimes little or no background story to life. Just like in the movies, there are many different specialized jobs that an employee may do, and often a career in video game animation involves progressing from assistant to lead designer on one aspect of animation. Attending an animation school increases your chances of landing an assistant position, and gives you the skills to progress through the ranks.

Internet Animators

As the internet has become more and more a part of everything we do in our daily lives, internet animators are now needed in more demand. Companies now like to distinguish their web pages by adding flashing animation, and even little animated skits and text. Internet animation has become a full-fledged industry that is expected to grow even greater in the coming years. In this industry it is critical to have the proper education and the latest computer animation skills, in all the most current software and tools.

Are You Interested?

These are just a few options in terms of careers after getting an education at a university.  The list is by no means inclusive, but is a good starting place.  If any of these careers seem interesting then you should consider further researching your options.