Expert: Andre Hickman - 2/23/2010

Question
Hello I am a junior in high school and I have some questoins over animation. The sooner you answer them the better.

1) What diiferent types of companies might employ an animator: government, trechnology, manufacturing...?

2) How might a person advance within this career?

3) What are some of the habiliments of the trade: clothes. equipment, supplies, items dealt with daily?

4) What are some of the fringe benefits: holidays, vacations, health/life insurance, sick leave, discounts,ect?

5) On what do various earnongs depend- type, size and location of employer?  

If you can answer these questions, that would be great!

Answer
Hey Hanna,

Those are some great questions, and actually some fresh ones that most people don't normally ask me. I'll give it a go.  There is probably not much surprise though...

1# Actually all of those fields might employ an animator, from NASA, to architectural firms, to engineering companies, to production and entertainment.  Being able to utilize animation as a medium gives the industry the ability to convey ideas that may be only theoretical or conceptual, but with motion, being able to show how it would work.  It is also used to simulate scenarios that may be too dangerous or costly to produce in real life.  Some of these companies may directly employ such a person. Others may contract a person or company to deliver things required in that particular skill set.

2) To advance requires not just a mastery of animation, but an understanding of how to work in a team environment, an more than likely some management training.  When you get in large production houses, you typically aren't doing everything with regards to animation.  You normally work in the area of your strength #with regard to CG and animation) on a production assembly line.  One person may conceptualize, another will model, another will rig it for motion, and another will develop textures, and another will animate, and so on...
To understand how to bring all of that together seamlessly is a plus.  Know this though, that managers don't typically get to "push pixels"...that is, they don't get to do much of the creative work, but instead just manage those who do.

3) This can vary from company to company.  I've seen companies where everything is staunch and clean, and everyone dresses in slacks and collared shirts.  Then I've seen others where all of the designers have toy collections all over their desks, posters on the walls, wear flip-flops and shorts if they choose, and some even choose to sit on one of those big exercise balls, instead of a chair.  It is all about the culture of the company that you work in, and I suggest getting to understand that culture be for accepting any position.

4) Benefits?  A job is a job, and that varies just like with any other job.

5) you can check out salary ranges at salary.com and use the salary wizard.

I hope this helps!

Cheers,
Andre