Animation School - Picking the One That's Right For You

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.
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. While they state that they don't endorse any of these institutions, the fact that they chose to list them shows that these schools are well-regarded in the industry and established. Some major animation studios even provide part time teachers for some of the schools. This by no means should be taken to infer that graduates of these schools will receive preferential treatment, but it certainly can't hurt you.
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.
Whichever school you choose, there is one thing it absolutely must provide - and that is help with creating your demo reel (also called a show reel). Without an impressive demo reel, you have pretty much a zero chance of getting hired by anybody. The school should help you with this, and the teachers should review it before you finish the course.
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. Competition for animation jobs is heavy, with animation currently being regarded as a "cool" job. One observer has likened trying to get an animation job in the entertainment industry to being a strugging actor trying to get his first film gig. Therefore, you might find breaking into animation to be easier if you avoid the entertaiment industry. "But how do I get an animation job if it's not in entertainment?" you say. Surprisingly, there is a long list of other industries that now employ antimators. They range from automobile building, to home improvement supplies and appliances, to architecture, interior design, landscaping and even the medical field. The competition for almost any of these careers would be less intense than that at an entertainment company.
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.

Article written by Joseph Serpico