It’s finally over. You’re free. You’ve got your degree, your freedom, and the whole wide world to explore. Sure, everyone says the industry is a little rough right now. You don’t know this yet because you’ve just graduated, but the industry is always “a little rough right now”.

Just keep applying, they say.

Just keep applying.

Suddenly, twelve months have gone by. You don’t have a job. Maybe you’ve had to pick up something full or part-time to make ends meet. Applying takes time. Writing cover letters takes time. Reformatting your resume to be ATS compatible takes time. You don’t have any time.

But somehow, somehow, one of your old classmates got a job in the industry. An internship. An offer. How? What makes the difference?

I’ve been trying to answer this question for the past five years. Without getting overly specific, I currently work at a large university where I help manage a highly competitive animation program, and I’ve been paying attention to which graduates ‘make it’—and which don’t. Before I continue, I want to be clear that the opinions expressed here reflect my experience and observations, which are not universal. However, I want to share this insight as I think it will be valuable to both recent graduates and aspiring animators.

Who Makes the Cut?

When it comes to walking across that stage with a degree? Everyone. Everyone makes the cut, and that’s part of the problem. Having a degree does not mean you’re hirable. And I don’t mean that in the, “Ohoh, you thought getting a degree was a one way ticket to employment? Aren’t you entitled!” way. I mean that it is entirely possible that you left your institution without the skills required to compete in the field even though you were told otherwise.

You can’t know what you don’t know. If your instructor says that a walk cycle, weight exercise, and ball bounce is enough for an entry level portfolio, why would you expect anything else? The greatest disservice an institution can do for its students is tell them to get out there when they really needed to keep improving.

This alone sets some students at a massive disadvantage post-graduation, and it leads to what I’ve identified as the number-one early career killer: stagnation.

Cool Degree, What’s Next?

Your schoolwork has a six-month shelf life. Work you create after graduating has a 12-month shelf life. If you don’t have something new that demonstrates an improvement in your skills over the course of a year, it’s over. This is the #1 indicator of employment I’ve seen over the last five years.

Strong students who coast on what they made in undergrad stall out. Strong students who grasp onto something new—go out of their way to pursue curiosity and find resources to really dig deep into niche facets of our industry—they’re getting picked up, and they’re getting picked up by big companies.

This isn’t to say “make more work”. You should make more work, of course, but a lot of soon-to-be grads ask me, “Well, what kind of work should I make? I want to get hired.”

I used to say, “Look at the work that your dream studio makes and cater your portfolio to that.” I’ve learned that’s not the answer. The real answer is “whatever makes you just frustrated enough that you can’t leave it alone.”

It’s something that challenges you, demands your time, and forces you to learn something new. If you make something you think is cool, odds are you’ll fight to finish it.

It’s Not What You Know, It’s Who You Know.

I used to roll my eyes when I heard this. “Great,”  I’d say. “So now I’ve got to compete with nepotism, too?”

Turns out, this old adage isn’t as dread-inducing as it might seem. Now with a few years behind me, I’ve come to understand our industry is a game of who knows who—but if you play your cards right, it’s a game you can win.

Get out there. Go to conferences. Go to film festivals. Post on Linkedin. Follow up with old classmates. Ask what they’re doing. Collaborate. The more present you are, the more likely it’ll be that one day an acquaintance will say, “Wait a minute—I think I know someone who does that,” and they’ll be talking about you.  

If all of this is making you think,

Man, This Seems Tough… I’m Not Sure Animation is For Me.

You might be right. I’m not here to be the Crusher of Dreams, but this field pretends to be a lot more accessible than it is. Anyone can be an animator, but there is a distinct difference between the sort of person who daydreams about their successful indie pilot and the person who gladly stares at a screen for weeks on end, moving little curves around in a software that likes to crash every few hours.

And beyond that, you’re expected to have the business sense you need to market yourself and the soft skills you need as a collaborator. Yikes!

Okay, So… Now what?

1.      Make sure your resume is presentable and ATS compatible. If you’re a recent grad, it shouldn’t be more than one page.

2.      Set up your Linkedin. Connect with peers and old instructors—most instructors have massive networks and connecting with them will give you access.

3.      Post regularly on LinkedIn. Seriously. Make sure it’s solid work, or solid work-in-progress.

4.      Go to events in your area. You can post that on Linkedin, too.

5.      Say yes to every opportunity, even if it’s not the exact job you were hoping for. Sometimes your first gig might be volunteering somewhere- if you can take it, take it.

6.      Make more stuff. Every piece should be more challenging than the last.

7.      Learn how to teach yourself (if you don’t already know).

Our field changes (I am not exaggerating) every year. New software, new tools, new everything. Don’t get stuck. Play with new tools when they become available—make a mess.

8.      Don’t be afraid to make bad art. Doing something new is almost always synonymous with doing something badly. The sooner you do it poorly, the sooner you’ll do it less poorly.

But I Don’t Have Time!

Big disclaimer here: there will be at least one person reading this post who genuinely does not have time. Only you, reader, can know the details of your situation. However, in my career, I have only met one person who really and truly could not fit anything else into their schedule, and they were working 2 full time jobs as a full-time student*.* With that in mind, I will (perhaps controversially) say to most folks reading this:

Yes, you do. Or you could. How much time do you spend scrolling on your phone/social media/TikTok every day? Truly—check right now. All of that time could be put toward creating new work or researching new tools. If this is what you want to do with your life, working toward it needs to be something you factor into your schedule. I know you’re tired after work. I am too. But even one hour a day will make the difference!

For the sake of transparency, this isn’t equally easy for everyone. There will be people competing with you that have money, and that money buys them more time either because they can afford to work part-time or not work at all. It isn’t fair.

But! Money isn’t the deciding factor. I’ve seen recent graduates with every advantage flounder because they wait and coast. I’ve seen recent graduates with next to nothing—*and I really and truly mean next to nothing—*make it, all because they refused to slow down.

All of the above is the culmination of my reading, attendance at professional seminars/talks, and personal observations. No AI was used in writing the content above. If you have personal anecdotes or insight, please share below!

Hi everyone, new to the sub and eager to learn!

I graduated in 2024 with a Bachelor of Architecture degree. In the past two years I have struggled to find employment in architecture, and recently took a long hard look inward and finally came to accept that I really do not want to be an architect. I am planning on dropping all else and doing an intensive self imposed boot camp to build a background art portfolio.

I am completely new to the animation and background art world, so I was hoping to find some guidance and to be pointed in the right direction. Apologies for the long post, I have a few questions and would greatly appreciate any and all input, big or small, thank you!

1. Is it necessary to pursue an additional degree? I am fairly confident in my fundamental art skills, I paint beautifully, and I have experience in spatial design, 3D modeling, rendering. However I also know that I lack the professional, structured instruction and industry insight that you would get from an academic setting. Is it sufficient that I prove myself through my portfolio, even though my educational background lies elsewhere?
2. What should I focus my portfolio on and how do I format it? I have seen Ryan Cecil Smith's portfolio referenced a few times on this sub, though he is quite established in his career, and I would appreciate it if anyone has examples of more entry level portfolios that I could reference. Should I establish a world and draw different scenes/perspectives of the same location? Or should I showcase various different types of backgrounds and environments? Do I stick to one style to be cohesive or display my various abilities across different styles and mediums? Should I choose between 2D or 3D or should I show both? Basically at this entry level stage of my career is it better to establish a definitive style and highlight my strengths or to show a wide range of abilities? Also how many images/projects is the standard best practice?
3. Location where the jobs are, is NYC Viable? I am based in the US and I have been planning a move to NYC. I am aware of the big animation job spreadsheet and it seems like most jobs are located in California or Texas. I am not opposed to relocating wherever a job takes me, but I have been planning to move to NYC for a while, I love the city and would really like to live there even just for a few years. Is this realistic? I know entry level opportunities are already sparse at the moment I don't want to further disadvantage myself.
4. Is traditional art an acceptable medium or should I focus on digital? I love traditional painting mediums the most, and I am more comfortable and skilled in them, specifically watercolor, gouache, and acrylic. However I can do digital as well and I am willing to intensely practice if it's what the industry demands. Would I be at a disadvantage if my portfolio is mostly traditional?
5. How do I advertise myself and get my work out there? Is LinkedIn the best place to share my work and look for opportunities or is there a more industry specific site?
6. What else should I learn? I am proficient in a variety of traditional mediums, Photoshop, Procreate, software I used for architecture like Rhino, Autocad, Vray. Should I learn Maya or Blender? Are there industry software or tools I don't know about that I should really learn?
7. What are other resources I can look into? I am not particularly attached to the "animation" aspect, I mainly just want to paint and/or design backgrounds and environments. This could be animation, video games, book illustrations, etc. Is there a better sub for that type of focus? Or Youtubers, books, podcasts, LinkedIn pages, Facebook groups, literally any resource or direction would be so greatly appreciated.

Thank you for reading all this and if you decide to share any advice. The more I think about it the more I am certain I want to make this pivot, but I don't know anything about the industry and don't know anyone I can reach out to in real life so it would really mean a lot to find a community here.

I've been attending the Melbourne International Animation Festival (MIAF), and I've noticed that a lot of the films have used Generative AI. As a festival with over 2000 submissions I find it really disappointing that quite a few of the films heavily use gen AI.

The festival director even openly told the theatre before screening that he was receiving complaints via email.

What really boiled my blood was hearing how the festival director spoke about student worries surrounding AI. I overheard him speaking to the volunteers who were asking about it. Clearly, some of them were students.

He was telling them things like "students complain to me in class about AI, but they all have smartphones, so they're really just hypocrits."

"Students only complain because they're worried about getting jobs, they shouldn't go into uni expecting to come out with a job. That's just the world now, and they have to get over it"

And much more.

Considering MIAF opens with a student showcase and clearly relies on students to volunteer to help run events. I feel like its a bit out of touch to so harshly criticise student worries.

I feel like festivals like this contribute to setting the tone in the industry. It doesn't seem like the best idea to alienate the next generation of submissions.

I won't be attending anymore events.

Is it true that for most festivals, it’s against the rules to have your animation existing online before the festival?

I just completed a personal animation that I’ve been excited to share on my social media account; but I’m debating whether to hold off on posting it, and instead, submit to festivals first. Is it like, 99% of festivals have this rule? Or more like 50/50?

My animation is about 5 min long. Experimental with original music. Spent a 17 months working on it.

Also, is there any advice you could give me to someone who’s curious about submitting to festivals for the first time?

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I used to feel genuinely liked in my career. I had friends, people appreciated my work, I felt talented and hopeful about my future. But after conflicts, distancing, and feeling excluded from people I cared about, I feel like I became someone who has to beg for attention or reassurance from others.

What hurts the most is that it’s affecting my art too. I feel dissociated all the time and suddenly things I used to do naturally — perspective, drawing, visualizing scenes — feel difficult or inaccessible. It scares me because animation was the one thing that made me feel like myself.

I also feel terrified that I ruined my chances of becoming a director because I don’t have many contacts anymore and I feel emotionally exhausted around people.

Has anyone else in animation/art school gone through a period where social pain completely affected their confidence, creativity, and sense of identity? Did it ever get better?

Im currently an animation student but everyone’s advice for me is to pivot because of the state of the industry. I don’t really have any talents or skills outside of art. What are you guys doing with your animation degrees(or skills) instead?

Hey all, I’m working on building a storyboard portfolio but am a bit confused by the industry standard for formatting. I’ve seen everything from sticky notes to full animatics, and I'm not sure what recruiters actually expect when you submit for professional work.

If I use panel sheets, how do I present them so they aren't tedious to look through? Are there any specific types of scenes I should avoid including?

I’d appreciate any help, and if you’re open to sharing your own portfolio for reference, I’d love to take a look.

I just applied to a job with a company for a graphic designer role. Which I didn't get, but that's besides the point.

In their email they said that "I do think that we could be interested in using your animation skills for a future project though. Do you have a set rate that you charge for freelance?"

... I do not.

I've never worked in the industry before and haven't done any professional work, so I have zero clue how much I would charge.

I don't want to give too high a number because I don't want them to think "we could pay that much for someone more skilled/more experience" but I also don't want to say a really small number because it's important to not under sell my work.

I was wondering if anyone had any idea what a rough daily rate for a junior animator would be? I don't mind it not being a lot since i'm a junior. But I also don't want to panic and tell them that i'd work on a animation for like 50p and a smiley face sticker.

I am considering moving to Ireland due to interest in their industry. I was wondering if anyone here could share their experience.

Did you relocate after securing a job or did you move beforehand? How is living in Ireland while working in animation? (broad question, but I am curious about daily life stuff like transportation or community events)

I have European citizenship so visa sponsorship is not an issue for me.

I appreciate the input, thank you!

Hi everyone!

I’m currently studying Animation in the Netherlands, but I’m feeling very disappointed with the program.

The course is extremely self-directed, and I feel like we receive very little actual teaching / guidance / feedback.

Most of the time we are expected to figure everything out on our own. I don't know if it's just me, because I understand that art schools often encourage independence, but I was hoping for more structured lessons and stronger technical training since my dream, after finishing the studies, is to become a professional artist and turn my passion into a career, to work in studios and companies.

I’m interested in many areas of animation ( hoping to learn them all ), including:

2D animation

3D animation

Visual effects (VFX)

CGI

Game art and game development

At the moment, I feel very lost and overwhelmed.

I’m trying to understand what the best path would be for me, but I’m not sure if transferring schools ( or continuing pursuing this dream job ) is the right decision.

But I'm starting to look for other universities or programs in Europe that:

Offer solid teaching and technical training

Are affordable ( because everytime I find a good university for animation it costs €10,000 per year )

May offer scholarships or financial aid

Have a good reputation in animation, VFX, or game art

If you have any recommendations for schools, courses, or advices on how to figure out the right path, I would be incredibly grateful.

Thank you so much.

I've been in pre-production for almost two years on an indie 3D web series, with no budget, no audience, and a team working purely for the love of it.

We're about to start pre-production on the pilot, but honestly, I'm not sure if I'm still that motivated. It's my first project, and I think maybe I was more ambitious than I should have been. The most frustrating part is the money, because when I try to contact animators, I get a lot of insults for mentioning that it's unpaid, and that just makes me feel worse.

I also can't do a Kickstarter or a Patreon because I don't have enough people, and because of my country of origin, I can't create a creator account, so I have to blindly trust someone.

With no team, no money, and no audience, I don't know if it's wise to continue. So far, we're just about to make the pilot with a blind faith that it will be a hit, but I know things don't work that way.

I guess we just have to try, right? I know people don't work for free

I was originally taking an online 3D animating class, but my former professor gave me a job offer as a director for his AI animation.

Although the studio he owns isn't animation studio but design studio, he won an AI animation contest that was held by one of the biggest broadcast company in my country. So the animation he's gonna make will be aired in this December. And my job is from June to November, work from Tuesday to Friday, 9 to 6.

I said yes to his job offer bc first of all his work seemed interesting(def not the AI slop with strawberry and banana), and I do am interested in directing outside of 3D animating. Plus I thought it would be better to have any kind of work experience even if it's slightly irrelevant(tell me if I'm wrong), and I don't have any of it rn. My plan is to take the class and work simultaneously and finish my portfolio by next spring, and get 3D animator job asap.

But I'm worried of me not being able to finish it in time, and the possibility of the other animation studios disliking the resume bc of this decision. Can that happen?

Tbh…some people might say just follow your heart but it’s easier said than done especially if one is financially dependent or they are unsure about whether they’ll regret their choice.

There is also emotional weight of expectations and stability…it’s all heavy

Hi there, I am a 20 year old live-action film student who wants to make his way into the animation industry. I already have an idea about how to make that shift, but I would really appreciate some outside perspective to poke holes in it.

As change is essentially getting from point A to point B, I will use that logic to give the post a structure:

Point A -- My current situation

• My "background" is in YouTube. Since middle school, I have been making video essays which have over time gotten ridiculously long, ridiculously visually polished, and now take months to produce. I think this gave me mainly three things: 1. Writing as my primary way of expression, 2. solid compositing and editing skills, and 3. some leadership experience, as I now manage a small team in the production of my last video essay.
• I decided to study filmmaking because I wanted a career that felt like my YouTube work, but live-action never felt quite right. Animation had never crossed my mind before that because drawing doesn't come naturally to me like writing or tech-related activities do, but for the past year and a half I have been steadily growing certain that the animation industry is the right one.
• I began learning the fundamentals of drawing intensely and applied to the animation courses in my college this year. I only got half the portfolio points on 2D Animation, making it unlikely I will get an offer, but full points on 3D Animation. I guess they recognised that I am tech-savvy.

Point B -- My dream career + The way towards it

• Although I am aware the odds are low, like many others I aspire to tell my own story someday, to write and direct an animated film. The reason why is what I found fulfilling about my YouTube work -- sending a message to the world, feeling a connection to the audience, feeling that you are leaving a mark on the world.
• I want to get my first job in the industry as a compositor, and that way get to know the studio pipeline, get to know people, and pay the bills. Compositing and editing is something I can do reliably and well regardless of my mood, and I think I would enjoy it as a career even if I didn't achieve my highest aspirations.
• I would develop my own projects in my spare time and use my social media experience to build the IP online. If it finds its audience, then I can pitch it, or crowdfund it.

Specific questions I have:

• My greatest concern is college. Should I stay in film school? Can I benefit from it by focusing on screenwriting, film language, etc. or would it be a waste of time? Should I apply to 2D animation again if I don't get an offer? Should I accept the 3D animation offer if I do get it? Or should I not be bothered by college at all?
• What challenges should I be prepared for if I end up applying to compositing jobs without a formal animation degree? And is the shift from post-production to pre-production realistic or is it unheard of?

PS: To anyone who contributed to the wiki -- thank you, it's been invaluable.

Hi guys! genuine question here about the recruitment and portfolio making process for animation studios. I often hear recruiters want those applying to somewhat match the style of the studio. I guess im wondering how that's possible with the amount of studios out there and different vibes and styles, how we would go about matching the style of one studio, but then if we wanted to apply to another one, what we would do if that style might not be as useful. I imagine it wouldn't be smart to put all eggs in one basket. I also often hear that they want the work to be uniquely ours, but then i feel as though that would somewhat defeat the purpose of matching the look of a studios work in some cases.

For example, let's say I love the work from two studios whose styles are completely different, but I would love to apply for both. What would you do in this scenario. Is it more important to match the style, or rather, the subject matter that would most likely be associated with the studio? Hope that all makes sense, thanks!

Hey guys

I've been doing 3d art for years now and haven't been able to find a job . To be fair I haven't been very motivated to apply for jobs in the last like 2 years but I did apply for hundreds of jobs before that through the span of like 2 or 3 years and got rejected from all of them. I feel like my work was decent enough (I wanted to do modeling/texturing) but for one reason or another it's not working for me so I was wondering what is a career path that I could try in the industry with better odds to get a job? seems like there's a lot of work for TD and rigging but I'm not completely sure what a TD does and how to learn to become one and rigging is not my favorite (but I guess that's the case for most people lol) I was also looking at vfx and cloth sim because maybe doing something more niche like that could better my chances of getting hired. Do you guys have any suggestions/resources? All of my work experience is in construction and I'd like to finally switch career paths and change industries. I'm in Canada if that makes any difference.

Thanks!

First off, thanks to the mods for letting me post this.

You probably know what you make. Maybe what a couple of friends make. Past that, it's guesswork.

Studios and agencies know exactly what they pay everyone in your role. The rest of us are asking around and digging up forum threads from 2019. That gap is the whole problem, it's why "is this rate fair?" never gets a real answer here.

CreativeRates is built to close it. Working artists submit their rate, and you see where you actually sit for your discipline, level and region. Animation, plus the VFX and motion side too. Real distribution, not a made-up average.

Submissions are fully anonymous. You stay invisible, the number goes in.

Honest part: it just launched, so the data's thin. No clever way around that. It only works if enough of us actually put a number in.

No big company behind this, no investors, no agenda. Just artists trying to figure this out together.

https://creativerates.io/go/rates?ref=reddit-animationcareer

Hi everyone. I'm a full time tattoo artist and i'm getting diagnosed with chronic diseases like endometriosis, adenomyosis, PMOS which causes chronic pain and other things.

Almost every month i'm forced to cancel a lot of appointments and these last few days I've been thinking about a mid-time career change. But i don't see myself not working as a creative. The first thing that came in my mind was 2D animation, i don't have any professional level yet but animating makes me feel so full, like i never felt before.

I want to learn more, takes classes, and why not someday like in a year (or two, or three) find a job in the industry ?

Anyways, i do need a job where i can stay at home and i can't keep tattooing full time in this economy. But I see here a lot of super super talented people not finding a job and i'm like, yeah, maybe it's not worth it

Do you think being passionate will be enough or should i keep learning without hoping to get a job someday ?