Expert: Andre Hickman - 8/9/2010

Question
QUESTION: i am a computer science graduate.i have huge interest in
animation(specially movies and Television).Currently i am
doing a course on 2D animation.i just wanted to know the
various career options for me in animation field with my
qualifications(including the 2D course)....or suggest the
right course to opt for....pls help!!


ANSWER: Hey Corinna,

What kind of animation are you ultimately wanting to do, 2D or 3D?
You say you are doing a 2D animation course.  I would imagine that you aren't actually doing full-blown cell animation, where you are literally drawing every single frame, but are instead learning with a hybrid approach using some software platform like Adobe Flash.

I know I have answered a similar line of questioning from a CS or Engineering major just recently, and I'll try to copy that response to you.  In the mean time, give me more detail on your current course, and what coursework may be available to you at your current institution, and I can help you better.

Cheers,
Andre

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: hey Andre,

i am really grateful for your reply to my question.

well,my 2D course is for 10 months..till now i have learnt the basics:sketching,perspective,anatomy n so on. now m learning to animate by drawing every single frame.soon after that i will be taught Adobe Flash and in the last 2 months of the course i will be working on my project.
i have been told by many that being an animator we should learn and know the basics first.thats the reason why i have joined the course though i am not sure which animation i want to do.i like both.hence i am confused to decide.Also i don't want my degree to go a waste....so i  want to know if there is any career options where i can make use of both(engineering degree and animation)...heard about generalists....but i am not sure about what they actually do..
i am looking for colleges in US,Canada and Japan. Can u suggest any good and affordable colleges??


Answer
Affordable, HA!  No, I don't know any of those...LOL.  I can point you to some of the ones I know, but I certainly can't help you pay for them!  You want to start learning Adobe After Effects along with Photoshop and Flash.  That will make you more marketable as a designer (not necessarily animator) but will give you a lot more opportunities to work if you are able to do Motion Graphics in general, and not just animate drawings.  I'm not familiar with the term "generalist" but I'd imagine it is something of a person that can do it all, like motion graphics, compositing, etc. and After Effects would definitely be a part of that arsenal.

Here are some schools that you can look up online.  I am in the US, but some of these schools actually have online courses as well:

The Art Institute
Free Sail University
Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD)
American Intercontinental University

Start there.

Cheers,
Andre