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Online Computer Animation Schools: A New Future

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Sci-fi and action movies have awesome special effects that are fabricated by graphic designers and computer animators. With a quick Internet search, you can find various PC games, videos, and websites that have all been created by these same professionals.

As Internet and video games, as well as many other media sources, continue to grow and advance, graphic designers and computer animators are becoming more and more in demand. These highly valued professionals are able to create the fantasies many people can only dream about. Entering online computer animation school can give you the opportunity to join these professionals in creating new worlds in every sequence you complete.

Animation Industry

There is a lot more to the animation industry than you may know. There are several fields, positions, and responsibilities within this industry. Attending an accredited animation college online provides you with the knowledge that is needed to enter the world of computer animation and graphics design, becoming an essential part of a team that creates several different forms of animation, including:

  • Video games
  • Television
  • Movies
  • Commercials
  • Websites

Whether you’re interested in creating cartoons or building upon live action footage, there is a place for you within the computer animation career field.

Online Animation College

If you’re interested in getting a certificate or technical degree, or even your associate’s or bachelor’s degree, online, there are several different schools to choose from. A few schools include:

  • Westwood College
  • DeVry University
  • ITT Technical University

There are also several other campus universities that offer online animation programs that can be completed in as little as nine months or as long as two years. The choice is yours, but it depends upon how far you wish to go in your career, as each degree can lead to a different level within the industry.

Job Outlook

When entering the field of computer animation, there are several directions you may take. For instance, many computer animators choose to work as independent contractors, obtaining freelance positions at various levels. This position will require a great deal of credentials and experience to land higher paying work. There are also positions within animation and graphics design firms, as well as various other companies in numerous industries. You can work your way up to various job titles, including chief designer or creative director within a high profile firm or industry.

Now is a great time to pursue a career in computer animation, as there is a projected career growth of about 6 percent through 2024. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics May 2015 figures, the median pay for multimedia artists and animators is $63,970 per year. Depending upon the field in which you work—and your experience and location—you have the potential to make over $113,000.

The Various Elements of Online Animation Classes

The animation industry offers a multitude of opportunities, but you need to get your education before stepping into this field. A bachelor’s degree or higher is generally the most desired education for this profession, which is why it is a good idea to take a look at the various online animation classes that provide great convenience and a cost-efficient method of obtaining your degree.

The first thing to know about attending an animation course online is that there are several different degrees to pursue:

  • Certificate
  • Diploma
  • Associate’s degree
  • Bachelor’s degree
  • Master’s degree

A bachelor’s degree program is the most sought out, offering many opportunities and the most skill advancement within the profession. Common courses required for bachelor’s degree programs include:

  • Animation fundamentals
  • Data structuring
  • 2D animation
  • Graphic movement
  • Storyboard and script creation
  • 3D animation
  • Software and hardware applications
  • Drawing
  • Painting
  • Analysis and development of solutions in design
  • Creation and manipulation of integrated 2D, 3D, and live action

What to Expect from Your Career

If you’re ready to make the move toward tomorrow’s most exciting career, you can take advantage of the many benefits online computer animation schools provide. The courses may not have the hands-on instruction campus-based animation schools have, but they still offer the necessary instruction and curriculum you need.

Animation School: Your Path to Success

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Computer animation is a growing field that has many career possibilities. If you are wondering how to become an animator, there are now many ways to get the training you need to succeed in this profession. An animation degree can give you the background necessary to work in this rapidly expanding industry.

The computer animator career possibilities are diverse and exciting. Movies, television, advertising, and video games all utilize computer animation. The demand for new and creative animation is growing with the advance of innovative technologies.

Popular Specialty Fields

Choosing a specialty will allow you to concentrate on one field of animation. The field you choose will determine the nature of your work—and in many cases the salary you can earn.

  • Game or Simulation Programming: This is a very popular field. There are many aspects to designing games, each requiring very specialized skills.
  • Animation for Movies and Television: This is a very exciting, though highly competitive, field, as the quality of animation is continually improving as new technologies emerge. This includes not only the production of animated films, but also special effects that are used in many movies and television shows.
  • Digital Media and Digital Arts: These programs are more general and can give you a solid background in the animation skills that are necessary for a variety of careers.

How do you decide on the right school or program?

You should first do some general research to find out what is being offered. It also depends on whether you want to attend school full time, part time, or online.

An online animation degree has the advantage of catering to your schedule, while it has the drawback of not having face-to-face contact with other students and faculty. If you want to attend a traditional school, you have to consider the location and reputation of the school.

Benefits of Earning Your Degree

Animation school can help you prepare for a corporate job or even a freelance career. There is so much being done with computer animation today that many people are making a good living by working for themselves. Of course, everything you create for your clients can become part of your resume, in case you want to apply for a job sometime in the future.

An animation degree can give you a foothold in a desirable and creative field. As people become used to watching video on their computers, cell phones, and mp3 players, the demand for new material will never stop. And for every type of content, whether film, TV show, or website, there is the need for advertising. In all of these areas, animation skills can play an important role.

Arguably most important is the fact that a bachelor’s degree provides you with a better starting salary than an associate’s degree or other certificate. Additionally, the curriculum associated with a bachelor’s degree develops a well-rounded skill set that will help you excel in many aspects of your career, not just the actual animation.

Today, animation programs are offered both online and in traditional educational settings. Additionally, you may be able to find an entry-level job that will train you in the more complex animation skills you need to develop.

Computer Animation Programs

If you desire to enter the exciting and quickly growing world of animation, there are several types of computer animation college programs to choose from. Depending on the computer animation college, there are numerous programs you can complete, such as:

  • Animation Art and Design
  • 2D and 3D Animation Applications and Sequences
  • Media Arts and Animation
  • Entertainment Design
  • Digital Media and Animation
  • Integration of Live Footage with 2D and 3D Animation
  • Design Solution Development
  • Use of Multi-Media, Software, and Hardware

Examples of Classes

There are several classes typically found within a computer animation program, with computer animation colleges generally designing the curriculum based on the degree program and the available resources within the school. Classes may include:

  • Animation Theory and Techniques
  • Writing for Film
  • Storyboard and Script Development
  • 2D and 3D Animation Production
  • Drawing and Design for Animation
  • Graphic Design and Art
  • General Computer Animation
  • Data Structuring
  • Movement through Graphic Images

Each class provides the skills necessary to enter the field with the appropriate knowledge of the various tools and resources to be used, as well as accepted processes and procedures.

Skills Learned

All colleges of graphic design and computer animation will provide you with the basic skills needed to perform the work you will take on within the profession. Whether you are attending a 3D animation school or a school that offers various other programs, there are several skills you will take with you upon graduation, including:

  • Computer drawing
  • Web design
  • 3D graphic design
  • Media production
  • Computer animation

All programs, even the most advanced 3D animation programs, will start with teaching you the paper and pencil aspect of beginning your work, leading to the compilation of animation and live action to create masterpieces within media outlets.

Computer animation is a wonderful industry—one that can provide a steady job despite a down economy. With the right education and a bit of talent, you can start your new animation career!

Now Is a Great Time to Become an Animation Professional

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If you’re considering a career in animation, then your timing is great. Technology is constantly evolving, and people always want the latest gadgets and applications—as well as the latest movies, television shows, advertisements, and videos created with them. For this reason, careers in computer animation are likely to be among the fastest growing.

The Many Applications of Computer Animation

The potential ways to use computer animation are almost endless. Two of the most popular are animated features and television programs. An animation career with a film studio or television network is many people’s idea of a dream job! However, you needn’t limit your thinking to these glamorous careers. Consider all the other ways that animation is being used today. Advertising, online videos, computer games, and even education are some prime examples.

As video becomes increasingly accessible, the demand for creative material, as well as advertising, geared toward viewers of video is rising. These viewers, keep in mind, include web surfers watching Youtube and people downloading material on their mp3 players and cell phones.

What Skills Do You Need to Become an Animation Professional?

What do you have to learn to get started in an animation career? Well, it depends on the kind of work you want to do. No matter what field of animation you choose, you have to start with basic artistic skills. Even in today’s high tech world, animation is something that starts in the mind and is then drawn, whether on a piece of paper or on a computer screen. When your artistic capabilities are developed, you can dive into the specialty of your choice!

You could learn the necessary skills on your own, but it is recommended that you earn a college degree in the animation field of your choice if you plan on working for a company.

This field is highly competitive, so a degree may assist you in getting the job you want. With more and more colleges offering animation programs, choosing the right school is a bit easier now than, say, ten years ago. There are also online programs that allow you to study at your own pace. However you decide to prepare for your animation career, it’s a good idea to learn as much as you can so you can start earning money in the near future.

Graphics and Animation Careers

Video game design and Internet advertising are two of the fastest growing fields within the industry of animation.

Video game design is a huge industry.

It’s also the kind of industry that is likely to remain immune to economic ups and downs. This is because many people are, simply put, addicted to video games.

Millions of people around the world have an insatiable appetite for new and flashy games, with exotic creatures, landscapes, and special effects.

This career offers a flexible work environment, as you can work either independently or as a member of a team. If you love to play computer games yourself, and have a sense of what they should look like, this might be a good direction for you to take.

Internet advertisements are posted all over the World Wide Web. As more and more ads go online, there is an ever-increasing need to stand out from the crowd. Clever, original animation is one way to do this.

You could get a job working for a company, large or small, or you could be a freelancer. Internet advertising is only going to get bigger, and it’s a great opportunity for anyone with the right artistic and technological skills.

Starting your career in animation is a step toward a fun, exciting future. If you love using your creativity in the workplace, and are a talented artist, then becoming an animation professional may be the perfect move!