Expert: Andre Hickman - 3/31/2009

Question
I wanted to do 3D animation or interactive media but which degree should I study in?
Should I take up a degree from a design school(graphic design) or a degree from IT school (computer science - multimedia and gaming development)


Answer
Hi Sam,

To answer your question in the most straight foreward path, I would say that "All roads lead to Rome..." That is, any approach that will get you the skillset that you need for animation is an approach that will get you there.  One approach may be more on the artistic side, and another may be more on the technical/coding side, so based on where your passion is, follow that direction.  For coding, go IT, and for artistic, go to a design school.  

You will still learn both aspects in either type of school to a certain degree, and what they teach you is going to be a basic skill set, so you will have to work on your own to get more advanced in any area anyway.  

I am actually self-taught, but that is not keeping me from working as a professional designer.  Actually, I am in a mentorship at Turner Studios, training with the guys that do a lot of stuff that you see on cartoon network, TBS, CNN, etc...and I have found that there are many animators that went to school for it, and there are also quite a few who did not.  The bottom line is the passion to do it.

That's why I use the phrase "All Roads Lead To Rome."  If it is something that you really want,  Then even if you choose one type of school over another for financial reasons, or you don't have the ability to go to school at all, your passion can still drive you to find learning resources to become great at anything that you want to do!

Cheers,
Andre