Hello all, I’ve had a passion for games my whole life and I have been working really hard with Blender to persue my dream as a 3-D Animator for a gaming or movie production. The problem I am having is my college only has a Computer science major and very little classes for 3-D modelling or rendering and they use java, not C# like we use in Unity for game design. I’m so confused as to what I should do.Regardless I wil continue to work on my projects. Keep in note, I am an artist and math is not my strong suit which is why I’d rather not major in Computer Science. Should I switch colleges, become a computer science major, or go to a school online like Full Sail University?
Art.
(this message is too short to post without these extra words)
Moved from “Jobs > Paid Work” to “General Forums > Blender and CG Discussions”
Isn’t it fine arts? A bachelor or master of arts is what you receive if you study art history, humanities etc.
You don’t have to go to college. In fact there is quite an argument against it. If what you want to do is work in the artistic side of animation then you just need to get yourself a hold of the software that is being used in games, practice, get real good and get a show reel together. Lots of online tutorial series to learn from. Then start applying for jobs. Will take about the same amount of time as going to shcool but you’ll get a lot more done. The main thing is getting good advice on what is needed in the industry.
Well enrolling in a few classes cannot hurt; things like art history, life drawing and sculpting will bring you the knowledge and skills you’ll need to ultimately become a great animator. You don’t have to take them, but you cannot know what you’re missing unless you do.
your demo reel not your diploma will get you jobs. they dont care where you’ve been, but where you are going. they care only what you can do for them. if you are looking for a career cgtalk is probably a better forum, its where the guys you’ll be asking for a job are online.
I think rdo3 and Hadriscus make good points. Practical ability will get you a job, but doing industrial design, art history etc is going to open your mind. You need to know how to use your tools but you also need to know what to use them for.
I would also suggest Art school, but I would add some maths courses also. Knowing how to draw thing is key but knowing why or how it work in your 3d application of choice is also a big plus.
There are some schools that offer courses in 3d stuff. As far as what people are looking for when it comes to animation, I’d have to say the main thing is a good portfolio and enough schooling to show you’re indoctrinated enough to work somewhere other than a BK.
It really boils down to…
Can you animate or can’t you? You either can or you can’t really. Once you can it’s just a matter of time and practice until you’re good enough for most intents and purposes. You’ve also got to be able to clearly display that you can, and have the dedication to work. Good animation is about character not movement. Remember that.
Lets make major life altering decisions by consulting complete strangers on the web…
Don’t you know? If it’s in the web then it MUST be true!
The only advice I give in such threads is stay in school and get a diploma. It may not be worth all that much for the “true” artist, but for someone planning to work for a living it does. Not all dreams come true, and you may have to rely on your education to find a job in another field of work.
It’s never a bad idea to get outside perspective
(Wanna hear a point-of-view from a proud, card-carrying, old phart?) 
Okay, here it is: "Don’t require too much from ‘your college education.’ "
I had … and, still have(!) … “a passion for” computers. I have always been genuinely interested in the fundamental notion of causing a machine to do useful-things for people. (And so, I continue … for example … to be fascinated really and for true(!!) by the apparently-dry subject of ‘programming languages,’ at a quite-academic level.)
Yes, I took a degree in Computer Science. (I am, in fact, a member of the fourth graduating-class that ever had “a degree in ‘Computer Science’” available to choose from.)
No, looking back, it didn’t “open lots of doors for me.” On the other hand, it didn’t shut any doors, either. I’m very glad that I did it, because it did a lot to broaden ‘the number of doors that I even knew existed.’ And I am indeed grateful for that. (It also gave me my first job, working at the University. It also prompted me many years later to become a community-college instructor for a dozen years, albeit part-time.)
My college degree came and went. I did learn a lot, even though the technological status-quo of that time bears essentially-zero resemblance to today’s. Therefore, I am more-or-less satisfied that I did it.
… Meanwhile, my particular ‘passion’ remains every bit as alive as ever it was. My degree didn’t open doors for me, didn’t shut doors for me, and didn’t affect which new doors I could thereafter discover to open. Don’t ask your college degree options to be anything more … nor, anything less(!) … than what they are. Seize the opportunity to get one. Don’t expect it to predict the future. It sets no boundaries upon your particular Passion.
Sorry to me that is crazy talk I will never take advice on serious matters on forums when I can’t see or have never met the people behind the various user names and know next to nothing about them.
Leaving college or changing majors are both huge decisions the OP could be getting career advice from people who have never worked in the film or game industry or studied as animators.
The are many easy ways to get at better and more reliable information from sources who’s credentials you can verify.
Next to having the wanted skill set, the best way to getting a job is to know someone, especially in more competitive locations (I live in Los Angeles).
Computer science would be more appropriate if you’re into programming (does computer graphics interest you?), which it sounds like you’re not. However, if you can program and have artistic ability, even better. You could make yourself go through it, and learn 3D animation on the side etc. but generally forcing yourself to do something you really don’t like is a recipe for disaster later on.
Remember, you don’t need to go to college/university to learn anything if you have the self-motivation. Arguably, 3D animation does not have a strong science/math component to it so a degree might not be weighted as much - YMMV. However, more often these days, a degree is needed to even be considered (whether or not it’s actually needed is another thing… :spin:).
Since you’re in college, internships are a really good way to get in, however be sure to find a respectable one. I’ve personally seen companies that are really looking for free labor. The point of an intership is to learn on-site job-specific skills so make sure you get something out of it.
Practical relevant experience is just as import as a degree, and it’ll only increase as more and more people get degrees. Do not rely solely on your degree to get a job; those days are long gone. I’ve personally gone so far as to bring my laptop to the interview to show them a live demonstration of my ability.
IMHO, I see a couple of options:
- Major in computer science or related STEM field and minor in art, and/or take additional classes.
- Major in art and minor in a related STEM field.
All the above include learning 3D animation and improving your skills on your own.
If you go to an online school, find an accredited reputable institution.
Another thing to consider is if you are not able to get your ideal job right away, you need something to fallback on unless you want to work at Starbucks etc. So an art degree might not be as in demand as a STEM degree (insert jokes here :p).
Whatever path you choose, be prepared to work your a$$ off because it’s brutal out there.
And one last time for reinforcement:
Do not rely solely on your degree to get a job.
Oh come on, he’s only asking for advice, no one’s making his decisions for him ! (or her ?) Also he’s probably asking around, not only on this board, and having multiple sources always help.
I know his only asking for advice but he is asking from people he doesn’t know and has never met when it is like I said very easy to find more reliable sources of information.
Maybe that is how he ended up confusing Computer Science with Animation in the first place asking advice from all the wrong people.
tyrant i did tell him to go to cg talk, where he could talk to those in the field. how do you know who to ask without asking? if you really feel that way why not tell him the more reliable sources of info and how to verify them? why not help the kid rather than just bashing them.
constructive criticism
- tell them what they are doing wrong.
2 why its wrong
3 how to do it right
4 why its right
5 the future results of doing it one way over the other
stopping at step one is not constructive, its just criticism. he was trying in he right direction, he was trying to ask people that he believed would be reliable sources. look at fweebs post. he did ask it in the section where people who hire for money are supposed to post, he believed he was asking employers.
I don’t take it so seriously. I am just giving my opinions. I always do. Many times this comes under attack on the forums. By people I don’t know and have never met nor do I know anything about their backgrounds.
Interesting problem.
Ask for advice on the forums.
People you don’t know and have never met or know their backgrounds give you their opinions. Then someone you don’t know and have never met or know their background gives you their opinion not to accept the opinions of people you don’t know and have never met or know their backgrounds who gave you their opinions.
Kind of goes in circles. Does it not?
So how about everyone just gives their opinions and trust people a little more. Some people are able to evaluate information and come to a conclusion when presented with data.
Other people are monkeys who accept anything said as gospel. But we’ll never know which they are because we have never met them and don’t know their background.
Silly notion.