r/animationcareer

I finished a two-year animation/vis dev vocational program and earned my certificate. I’d also been accepted into a paid internship that fell through before it started. Since then I’ve applied steadily for over a year — mostly silence, or rejections with no explanation of what they were actually looking for.

I know the market’s rough right now, but I’d rather improve than keep guessing blind. If any artists here are willing to look at my portfolio or resume and tell me straight what’s not landing, I’d really appreciate it. Not industry-standard yet, and that’s fine — fire away.

Portfolio

What's going to happen to Animation as a career in 3 to 5 years?

I’m not sure if this is the right place to ask but I’m wondering how to get a following with art and one day create amazing animations. What sites i should post on

I'm currently a junior animation major at my college, Virginia Commonwealth University and I'm looking for an animation or animation adjacent internship/job, however I'm having problems with the following:

- Actually getting a job/internship

- Finding online animation interships/job on different job websites

- Standing out in the job market

- Finding paided jobs/interships

I currently have experience with making artwork and animations, self taught, for around over 6 years. I'm a hardworking go-getter who's willing to do anything for experience.

Heyy I'm in high school now and I want to know how I can be a animator? Like i don't know wht qualifications I need or wht type of programs/uni/clg i should apply to pursue tht career and please help me let me know wht all I have to focus on. 😁😁🫵🙏

Im an traditional artist and I have no experience in digital art currently mainly bcz I do not own any equipment for digital art and also currently I'm focusing on my school studies and improving my traditional art skills and other hobbies.😔🥲

But heyy so idk anything abt how to be an animator nor wht qualifications I need to get hired in a animation studio sooo please let me know wht all should I do🤔

And if u could suggest any clg/uni with game design or animation major,Im not choosy so please suggest clgs/unis in any country(im from India and i don't want to attend one here 🫡)

And it would be helpful if u could also suggest some online learning course to take which will also provide an certificate 😄

Hello all, I'm an animator who does personal projects and occasional freelance work, and I'm trying to build up my portfolio and get my foot in the door with professional work. I'm interested in doing the Titmouse Foundation program. It lasts a year, and you team up with a partner to create a mythological short film. I would love the opportunity to learn even more about animation and make something really cool, but I've been having trouble finding partners. Let me know if you are interested and I can send you the link to see if you can commit to the hours, and we can share our portfolios!

Hello, I am a high school senior looking to take animation seriously as a career path. I was originally thinking about majoring in business, but after realizing how truly passionate I am for the arts, I have decided to start looking at art schools. The problem isn't just the cost, but also the location of the programs I would like most being so far away. I want to become a 2D animator but everything seems to be pointing to CalArts and not many places other than that.

Ringling is my top choice for a college that specializes in animation but it seems like 3D animation is there main focus there, and I am not very interested in that kind of animation. SCAD does not seem the best in general, and I truly want to engage with my passions in a realistic way.

If I go to an art school, I will end up in debt. It is unavoidable. The problem I have is whether I should go into debt for my dreams or go to a state college where it is very likely I will end up being paid to go there. It may sound obvious which choice I should pick, but I genuinely love art and want to do it for the rest of my life. Going to a state college with a barebones animation program feels like it will not be enough for me. Aditionally, the student culture and mindset will differ heavily depending on which college I go to. I want to be surrounded by like-minded people who are just as passionate about art as I am and can exist as friendly competition. I think the debt is the cost of that kind of campus culture at an art school because most kids, especially those that are making such a sacrifice, are serious about their craft.

In any case, art school is expensive. Are there any state colleges with good 2D animation programs? Are there any courses or workshops that I can travel to and work in for a long period of time? I should also say that I am confident in my artistic skills and ability to learn, but my biggest problem is work ethic. I tend to not have much motivation to go above and beyond or work on projects for long periods of time unless a grade or strict deadline is in front of me. That is why I want to go to art school in the first place. An online course risks me putting in less effort on assignments or backing out because I am easily able to do so. If I make the difficult choice of going into debt of my own free will, I am sure I will achieve what I want to achieve. I can stay at home after art school and wouldn't mind working a non-art related job to solely pay off my debt over the course of some years. It would be difficult to go to art school a few years after I graduate highschool, as many of my benefits and scholarships would be less viable, I think. I would regret never going to art school more than going to school and being paid to do so for something I am unhappy doing as my life career. Please help me with some good info, advice, or anything else. 🙏🙏

A selection of my 2D animation work created in Moho.

This showreel includes vector-based character design, mesh layer animation, character rigging with bones, expressive animation, and behind-the-scenes workflow examples.

You will also see:
• 360° vehicle rotation
• Particle system animation
• 3D-style characters and asteroids
• Character rigs and bone setups
• Vector artwork and mesh deformation
• Animation process and production workflow

All projects were created and animated in Moho.

I am writing this post because I am at a major crossroads and I really need some honest advice from those of you who are already in the industry.

I am 36 years old and I have a rather atypical professional path. I started as a traditional clay modeler in the fashion industry, then moved to 3D quite late, around my 27. I started with CAD and later moved into the game industry thanks to my good sculpting skills. I have been working for about 7 years in small studios I have worked every single day, never having any employment gaps, and I have done a bit of everything: props, digital doubles, facial blendshapes, complex hardsurface, and both realistic and stylized characters.

The problem is that all this experience is "wasted" on lowprofile projects (B2B work, indie games, content for youtubers, and other junk). I only have a couple of published titles, but I feel that my current portfolio does not do justice to what I am truly capable of. Now that my permanent contract has finished and I am only moving forward with the occasional clients, I have a strong desire to get back to studying, redo my reel, and try to aim for VFX, which has always been my aspiration.

Looking at the market, I have many doubts, primarily because of my age, but beyond that, I wonder if it still makes sense to look for work as a modeler. Realistically, are studios in Europe, Canada, the US, or Australia still looking for these profiles? Or has all the work moved to low-cost hubs in India and elsewhere? I would also be willing to relocate, but I want to understand if it is still economically sustainable.

Then there is the AI issue...I have started using AI-based workflows to generate assets and speed up processes, because it was required at my last studio, but I find it humiliating to give up the part of the process I have always loved, which is sculpting, just to reduce myself to doing mere AI garbage cleanup. If the future is "cleaning up," does it make sense to continue focusing on pure modeling, or is it better to pivot to more technical roles, such as rigging, which seem to have more demand?

That said, I ask you, with this background, where would you focus your efforts to make your profile truly appealing? What are the technical skills that today make the difference in having some chance of entering a production for a profile like mine?

I know that the moment is not the best for the industry, but I want to understand if, at my age, I am chasing a mirage or if there is still space for someone who is willing to get back in the game.

Thanks a lot in advance for your advice, I will appreciate your honesty.

Hello everyone!

I'm trying to find examples of pitched animation projects (pitch bibles, project proposals, or projects that were presented at animation pitching forums like Annecy MIFA, Cartoon Movie, or Animation Production Days), but I haven't had much luck finding them online.

Does anyone know where I can find examples or archives of these projects? Any websites, databases, or resources would be greatly appreciated.

Hello !! This is my first reddit post cause I'm struggling to find sources for this particular query I have. I'm currently a high school graduate taking a gap year to work on my portfolio for universities with an animation degree. I live in Asia and I'm aiming for universities all around the world.

I was originally focusing on to studying in Canada the most since I am aiming for the Sheridan animation program- due it being good and relatively cheap compared to schools like Calarts. However I've noticed most popular artist meet-ups are in LA, probably due to it being the hub for the western animation industry.

I just want to know if it's easier to make connections for job placements in LA compared to any other area. I also want to know if it's possible to do that while studying in a state school instead of an art school like Calarts (will employers care about the "value" of my degree if my work is good? Or do students from more prestigious schools have a significant upper hand?)

Sorry if this post is weirdly structured, as I've mentioned before I'm new to reddit and English isn't my first language

Hi I'm an animation student and like any other student, i have a lot of creative ideas but i don't have the skills or money to produce them. I have worked on two films with my fellow students and one of them got a lot of festival selections and even won twice.

I want to know how to get the money to work on more and also if any of you could help me find leads or even help me yourselves .

Looking for some job fair advice. I've gone to several job fairs and most of the time spent talking with recruiters boils down to me showing them my reel and them asking about previous experience / software knowledge. However, next week I'm going to one where we had to request meetings with recruiters and they either accepted or declined to meet with us. Basically we made a profile on the organization's website, linked our resumes and portfolios and requested meetings with up to three visiting companies. I'm fortunate enough to have gotten a yes from all three of my requested companies, but I'm at a bit of a loss at what the meetings are going to be like since they've already seen my reel and resume. Do I just show it to them again? 

What else can I talk about/present as a junior 2D animator? I don't want to count on them filling the time with questions or what not, I wanna make sure I have something to talk to them about so it's not just awkward silence and a 2 minute meeting. I was thinking maybe showing them process work for some of the pieces in my reel? (If I can find any lol, need to dig through some hard drives...) If not, I'm currently working on a personal project that I can show WIPS of? Like the keys and roughs? The embarrassing reference I shot of myself? I also designed the characters and environment and have process of that, would it be weird to show that if I'm strictly an animator applying for animator jobs? Should I show studies and sketches? My sketchbook? I'm not sure what's too unrelated/unprofessional and what would be of interest to a recruiter. Any advice appreciated.

Relevant info: I'm a recent grad 2D animator, only with freelance experience. Job fair is in Spain with Spanish studios.

I've been looking for a couple of months for a master's degree programs at some institutions like Voxel School, L'Idem, Trazos, etc. And I've read both really good and bad comments about pursuing a master's degree in general. The general opinion is "don't waste $10k on this kind of education, instead go for animation courses or mentorships from a pro". I don't really know what to do. I don't really have $10k to spend lightly, so it's a really important decision for me. Oh, and something else I want to add as context is that I actually don’t have much experience in animation, maybe like two short films from university. I specialize more in illustration (studying something related to Concept art was an option too but I discarded it because it seems like there aren't many job opportunities). Can someone help me please? 😭

I'm an illustrator with an intermediate skill level, and I'm looking to grow in my career. I've worked on two short animations, although I don't think I did very well on them. One of them is called Crystallum, which I made with another student. I created all the backgrounds and animated about half of the project. It's on YouTube if you'd like to give me your opinion on it.

I’ve also made a lot of fan art, illustrations, and personal artwork. I love illustration, and I like animation too, but I don’t think I’m really good at it.

I’ve been looking for opinions, and many people say that 2D animation offers more job opportunities than concept art. Because of that, I’m not sure whether it would be more convenient to pursue something more stable and secure.

What do you think I should do?

hi! I finally got an interview to do environment concept art work for an animated youtube show. The problem is the company seems really suspicious (not a known animation company, seems like a general tech consulting company with no visible portfolio)

I really thought it was a scam but we had a google meets call and i was given an art test. The interviewer told me they would pay 25/hr but it would be under a delayed payment scheme where payment would only be provided after the first 6 episodes are completed.

I have no experience with the animation industry. Is this normal? is this a scam? are they going to take my work and disappear with it? I'm worried if the 6 episodes don't pan out i won't be paid at all

(but then again i can't find any work so i should just take it right...)

Heads up: This is not about using AI for art no no no!!!!!!

Hey guys,

I'm changing careers I quit my job (I was an AI Engineer, though the title sounds cool the job itself was literal hell) a few months ago and have been improving my digital arts skills by myself (and also went on the mandatory late 20s existential dread fueled Japan trip) but I've realized I want to be a part of a more structured learning environment.

I was thinking of FutureGames in Warsaw (specifically the Game Artist path) but I'm not European so I was wondering do you guys think after I go through my education there would I be able to join the international digital entertainment industry?

Or if you guys have any other recommendations I would truly appreciate it, perhaps another school or something? I can always go the full indie way I have saved enough for a few years worth of self study but I truly want to be a part of smt more structured and network with people in the industry and as I am getting closer to 30s I do want to move fast if possible.

I did work in a gaming company before as an intern and released a Unity game on Itchio (it was a very bad game but had coop so technically it was challenging I guess), I also created my own game engine using OpenGL and made a very simple fps game with it so I do know a bit about game dev but the art aspect of it is relatively new to me so I could really use some guidance.

PS: I actually don't really want to focus on game dev specifically I just want to join the entertainment industry and this seems like the most plausible way to do so. Another option is I guess learning Japanese and going to a vocational school there for illustration or animation but I feel like Japan is simply too isolated and would prefer to work in more international companies that's why I was thinking game dev related art programs could be ideal for me.

Hi everyone,

I'm from India and I want to build a career in 3D Animation and the Gaming industry. My long-term goal is to work in Japan.

I'm currently learning Blender and also studying Japanese. I'm trying to decide whether I should join an offline institute like MAAC or Arena Animation or invest in an online school like AnimSchool.

I've read many Reddit posts saying that at institutes like Arena, students still have to learn most things on their own, teacher quality depends on the center, and placements can be average. On the other hand, AnimSchool has a very good reputation, but it's completely online.

If you were starting today and wanted a career in 3D animation and game development, which option would you choose?

My priorities are:

-Strong portfolio/demo reel

-Industry-ready skills

-Better job opportunities

-Eventually working in Japan

If you've personally studied at MAAC,Arena, AnimSchool, Animation Mentor, CG Spectrum, or work in the animation/game industry, I'd really appreciate your honest advice.