Expert: Russell Calabrese - 8/5/2008

Question
Hi Russell,

I have read past answers given by you and I feel you are the best person to ask this question. Initially when I just graduated I wanted to pursue a career in animation since I am good in drawing, creative. Since I was small I was really fascinated with the cartoons and always wanted to know how it’s done and to do it also. So just after graduation I joined an animation institute. Since I had no knowledge of what course to do, I was told to do an animation program which would include all the possible animations like 2D, 3d, etc. After going for one month I realized that doing the whole course was useless since this was told to me by the faculty of that institute who was teaching me Illustrator. So I got confused and left it. Since then I am worked in a couple of different firm like
Shipping, insurance for one year each but I had been repeating silly error again and again in both of them. And no matter how hard I try I couldn’t avoid them, then I realized that my mind was in animation and that’s the reason I couldn’t concentrate in those firms.

So, now I have decided I would go for animation as a career and won’t step back no matter how many difficulties I would have to face. Please advise what the best animation courses are available in the market, one of friends told me to go for Maya. I really want to make a career in this please guide me. I know that animation is a hard work and requires a lot of skill and patience. I believe that I have all that. I feel that i should not let go waste of the talent I have because it’s a god’s gift and not everyone has it.
I stay at Mumbai, India.

Thanks & Best Regards,
Kamran.


Answer
Hello Kamran,

Maya seems to be the program of choice. Figure out what aspect of it you want to be an expert at and focus on that. I'm in the USA and know of schools here. I can't really give advice for any schools where you are located. There are some good books to use to learn on your own.

Hope this helps.

Russell