Expert: Joseph Silver - 11/19/2006

Question
I'm a sophmore in highschool living in Wisconsin, I've had a strong desire to have a career in the animation field, anywhere from designing characters for games, to being an actual animator in motion pictures, since I was 10 years old, but, the more I search, the more it seems this whole field has dim prospects due to outsourcing...what I'm really asking, is am I shooting at a dream I'll never be able to attain? is there anything I should be doing in terms of selecting a college, and doing personal projects to help bolster my chances at success? any advice you could give me in my situation would be greatly appreciated, thanks

chris

Answer
A lot of traditional cel animation is outsourced to India, South Korea, and other countries where labor is cheaper. The same goes for 3D animation. Domestically, more and more people are studying animation, and there really is no license or other formality tied to working as an animator. So, in answer to your question, yes, being an animator isn't the largest growth field around and there's plenty of competition.

On the other hand, if you're good - really good - you'll probably be able to make a decent living. I don't think it's up to me to say whether you're aiming for a pie in the sky or not. However, I do think it's a good sign that you have the objectivity to consider the challenges and risks of pursuing work in this field - especially as a highschool student. That shows maturity and foresight.

I recommend finding some companies in your locale that do animation and see if any of them will offer you an internship. This is a great way to get real-world experience and to explore which areas of animation are most interesting to you. In your own time, I would do a course of self-study - try to build up a portfolio.