Animation School

If you really love animation and want to make it a career, you've probably considered attending a full time animation school, as well as some alternatives such as online schools or six week crash courses. Some of the animation degrees available include an AS (Associate of Science), BS (Bachelor of Science) and BA (Bachelor of Arts), and most will allow for specialization in certain areas such as game design.

With a computer animation degree, you will be able to advance your skills in 3D modeling, character design, animation as well as developing the content of your game. Once you have these skills, all you need is a bit of creativity to capitalize on this growing industry.

Your choice of institution will probably be influenced by financial and time constraint considerations to some extent, but attending a reputable, well-known, high-quality full time school can pay dividends when it comes time to get a job. If you look on the well-known computer animation studio Pixar's website, you'll see that they list a number of computer graphics and animation schools.

Some major animation studios even provide part time teachers for some of the schools.
Another possible advantage of attending one of these schools is the opportunity to network and apply for internships with these major studios. Having been an intern and performed superbly will give you an edge over applicants who may have similar qualifications but are personally unknown at that studio. Of course, any industry contacts you might make during your internship can prove invaluable toward career advancement.

If you have a natural talent with computer animation, then you should capitalize on that talent by getting a computer animation degree. This degree program will take your previous skills and turn them into talents that employers are seeking. It will also help you build your portfolio to make you more appealing to potential employers. Video game design can be a tough market. Securing a computer animation degree will help you gain a career that will be exciting and rewarding.

Once you have your animation degree, you'll just head on over to Pixar and get a job, right? Unfortunately, it's unlikely to happen that way.So, while it's certainly not no cakewalk to get a good animation job, attending a quality animation school, working as hard as possible while there, and taking a flexible career path can get you off to a great start on your dream career.