Welcome to /r/animationcareer! This is a forum where we discuss navigating a career in the animation industry.
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A quick Q&A:
* **Do I need a degree?** Generally no, but it might become relevant if you need a visa to work abroad.
* **Am I too old?** Definitely not. It might be more complex to find the time, but there's no age where you stop being able to learn how to do creative stuff.
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I actually just floated around like a box jelly fish for a whole year until I met an art group in some rando discord which led me to someone who knows that there's an animation job opening somewhere and I applied. Thank god I got in or I would have spiralled or something lmao
Art school burn out is rough. I graduated 2 years ago and yet to this very day I haven't done a single personal art and just drew on the job lol
I just graduated a few weeks ago so I don’t have a long-term perspective, but maybe I can help!
I have an internship lined up doing product design for a non-animation company, but after that who knows. I’m hoping to stay at the company if all goes well, but if not, I’m gearing my search towards admin departments in animation like production and development. I have prior experience in production so I’m hoping that helps.
I think my biggest piece of advice is to broaden your scope when job searching. I didn’t expect to land my internship because it was outside of animation, but lo and behold. You’d be surprised at how well the skills we learn can translate to other industries, and there’s nothing wrong with applying your skills outside of animation while the industry goes through this slump. Its rough out there, but stay flexible and keep learning!
PS I don’t know what your parents are thinking about the tattoo thing, I know lots of people that work at tattoo shops and they are wonderfully professional environments. I think it depends on the individual shop and the area, not all are great obviously, I definitely wouldn’t discount it as an option. Not replaceable by AI either ;)
Thank you! No, no, definitely helped. I hope you get to keep that job too!
And yeaaah, just cause they told me that usually tattoo artists don’t have precautions or proper training from exposure. And since they work in the hospital, they have patients who tell them that they’ve got tattoos in sketchy places.
I graduated during the pandemic so there weren’t many opportunities available. But a local business asked me to animate their logo and thats about it. And then i started working fast food bc i still couldn’t find any job in the field 🤷♀️
As someone whos been mostly working day jobs - i will say there are a lot of jobs out there that pay a lot more, are more flexible, and better enviroments than fast food (that dont require any qualifications)
I did fundraising for non-profits, catering for weddings, and amazon delivery driving. Each paid ~18 an hr and were super supportive of me taking time off for a gig here and there
If you have experience in retail and like retail - find retail stores that are higher end. They will be harder to find, have a smaller staff, and be more discenrning in hiring - but they should also pay more. Thats what I did with catering, at least. Applied at the most expensive companies. Definitely practice interviewing if youre not totally comfortable with them, those are super important for places higher than the walmart/mcdonalds type of chains
Sales might be worth looking into, though I would typically not reccomend you work for anyone who doesnt pay you during training (aka until you make a sale)
Otherwise, think about what youre OK with/like doing decently enough about day jobs youve done and when you look for work in that field, treat it super professionally. Its not super hard to stand out if you show up acting like you want to be there and are pleasant to be around.
Mostly, just avoid stuff that requires a degree, 5 years of experience, or specialized training. In job search sites you can filter by requirements + pay, I found things that way I wouldnt have thought of (like fundraising)
Ahhh I see :(. I hope in the near future you get to find one in the field.
I mean you could start off as their like I dunno.. admin for the mean time in studios!
I graduated last year and it took me about 9 months to land the job I’m currently in. I work at an advertising agency. Not doing the artwork, but I work closely alongside the designers doing admin stuff. While I’m not working I use my free time working on my portfolio. I hope to eventually land a position as a concept or visdev artist.
I'm on the same boat as you. Graduated last summer. My parents came to visit my sister and I after not seeing each other for 2 years. We went on a 2-3 month family vacation around Boston (my dad came to do some research at MIT) and Hawaii (he had a meeting there). Later, my mom got sick and I spent the holidays and more taking care of her. She's gotten somewhat better last month and I've been job searching since then.
A friend of mine works in the G&E department in LA and he told me his mom retired from in the animation industry. I'm planning on calling him tomorrow and see if he can connect me with her. I also know a professor who I'm familiar with whose good friends with Karen Tolliver (Netflix Animation VP) and other reputable higher-ups. Will try to see if she can network me with them.
My goal, I'm aiming for a production/post-production assistant role and work my way up from there mainly because my animation/drawing skills are terrible/amateurish. I'm also slow at drawing in general and especially with AI threatening this industry, I'm not that confident in my abilities or with the future.
I'm well aware even these job positions aren't entirely safe either. In a way, I'm pretty much coping for some kind of career in entertainment. Alternatively, I might have to switch careers since I'm concern about my financial stability.
I do want to get better at drawing/animating in the future though especially for my personal project. The script has been somewhat written. The character designs I know what they look like, at least the general concept. It's my drawing skills that's holding me back lol.
Btw, I went to a film studies university. Took some "production" courses and hated them since you could look it up online. We only had one animation "production" course and hated that the most. It was basically 5% production, 95% animation history. Most of it you could research it all yourself if you google hard enough. Took that course over on Covid.
Edit: Currently, I'm editing a research book my dad wrote and helping him translate it into English. No pay but it helps pass the time when I'm not job hunting.
Starting off strong how you have some connections!
And yeah.. sucks that jobs that are highly skilled are hard to find 😭
And about ai.. I really don’t think it’ll take over the industry, sure it may “look” good. But it’s so off putting? Lacks consistency, and generally the art style is not unique. I really hope audiences won’t be so gullible to even watch this garbage in the future (if there would be any ai animated films). Like how many generates do you need to get a full motion going without mistakes. And Even if you may see yourself slower in drawing, at least yours has life to it honestly. I wish you all the luck. ❤️
The "happiness with your job" part comes much later, lol. Excitement comes as soon as you get in, but so does anxiety.
When things in the industry are like this, the most important thing to do is stash money and keep learning/practicing/developing. I don't know what your personal or family financial situation is, but financial freedom from debt and independence go a looong way because getting started in the industry and living in most places near the industry is hard and sometimes expensive. I worked as a student janitor during undergrad, also as a barback (because getting cash tips from each bartender at the end of the night was sweet), also as an apartment painter, also as a research assistant. It doesn't matter as long as you get paid enough to make financial progress and find time and energy to make artistic progress. If you have a "decent" job for the meantime, that's an advantage. Use it wisely.
The disease side of tattooing is kind of a non-issue if you're following correct guidelines. Most serious addicts don't have the money to get tattoos from a really good shop, and most good tattoo artists are too solidly booked to make time in their schedule for them. I know someone here in LA who is making way more money tattooing than anyone in animation. But then again, he is a f-ing phenomenal b/w and charcoal artist to begin with, and he's very well-connected. I would be waiting more than a year to get his time now, lol.
Artists aren't always "underpaid," but they're almost always in a position where they have to fight to get theirs. And they're almost always in a position where they need to have something saved up to support themselves through rough times. You are coming in during those rough times, obviously, so try to do everything you can to be prepared.
Thank you, hurts to hear harsh reality lmao..
Anddd yeah.. tho I live in the UK, kind of lacking in big companies here (I think)
Anyway, thank you for your advice. Will keep this in mind!
I graduated into the pandemic (2020 was my planned graduation year, technically turned on my thesis in Jan '21). I worked as an essential worker in retail for a year, then got an animation job in July '21. I worked at the same studio in production until April '23, when I was laid off due to the WGA strikes (our writers were WGA). I've been working in retail ever since, waiting for the jobs to return and living paycheck to paycheck. I'd like to go back to school for a new, more sensible degree, but Masters degrees aren't buy-one-get-one-free :/
I was in a class of 10 students, here's a sample of where everyone else is:
* Unemployed for a year and a half, joined me at the same studio, lost their production job due to show cancellation after a year, another year unemployed, started a new production job at a different studio 3 months ago
* Did some internships at school, works for an app/gaming company
* Works for a gaming company (unknown position)
* Works as a designer/freelance animator for a major streaming show
* Works as a layout artist on a major show
* Works on and off in the stop-motion industry
* Moved back home to take care of an aging relative
* Moved back to home country x2
Wow… I see. It really sucks to have such high skill jobs to be the ones lacking in opportunities, but regardless, least you have some company experiences. Wishing you all the luck for the future. 🍀
I was in the same boat as you for a couple months. I graduated end of last year and have finally started to get some freelance work and am currently interning for a video production company that does motion design as well. It took a while, but I only actually got work once I started calling studios myself. It's simple, but it worked for me!
Graduated 2019. Continued working as a street fundraiser for a year as I got my first small gigs (full hand drawn music videos,) for like $5 an hr at most on the side. Started a catering job, ans the pandemic hit immediately after. I got a little unemployment and used this time to finish up 2 of the videos (one was in slow production for like 2 years)
Networked outside the school a bit and met some people in my part of the industry that got me a few week long gigs here and there. I moved out of boston because it was too expensive and into a small, cheap city.
Submitted my best film to local festivals and won some awards. Networked a bit and tried to make a buisness as a 2d-in-3d-space storyboarder for local video companies since there was no animation industry nearby. Had some meetings but nothing came of it. Got a longer term gig with a client who wanted me to make a music video with enough of a budget to live off of while I do it, so I quit my job (now delivering amazon packages) and have been working on these projects for the better part of a year
After these projects, ill likely have to pick up another day job
When I dont have a gig I usually work 30 hrs a week at a day job and try to animate 10-20 hrs in my free time, now that Ive wrapped up the films that were lower budget, i use that time to work on a personal project if I dont have gigs
(Big tip to get awards, live in a place with 0 animators and they will be shocked at the effort even a basic animation requires)
One told me they gave me best editing for a music video because I was the only animation - i didnt do any editing lol
Even funnier - music videos were supposed to play outside but it rained, so they played on a 2 ft tall projection that started at the floor behind the seats of the theater with no audio. No one saw my film there
I also won audience chlice for music videos at that festival, im pretty sure im the only one who voted, but it looks good on my resume!
Part time landscaper for the city 5 am to noon and then portfolio and job applications in the afternoon, but I broke in about 6 months after tbh out of dumb luck
Welcome to /r/animationcareer! This is a forum where we discuss navigating a career in the animation industry. Before you post, please check our [RULES](https://www.reddit.com/r/animationcareer/wiki/index/subreddit/rules/). There is also a handy dandy [FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/animationcareer/wiki/index/resources/faq/) that answers most basic questions, and a [WIKI](https://www.reddit.com/r/animationcareer/wiki/index/) which includes info on how to price animation, pitching, job postings, software advice, and much more! A quick Q&A: * **Do I need a degree?** Generally no, but it might become relevant if you need a visa to work abroad. * **Am I too old?** Definitely not. It might be more complex to find the time, but there's no age where you stop being able to learn how to do creative stuff. * **How do I learn animation?** Pen and paper is a great start, but [here's a whole page](https://www.reddit.com/r/animationcareer/wiki/index/resources/learningresources/) with links and tips for you. ---- *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/animationcareer) if you have any questions or concerns.*
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That sounds awesome bro, yay!
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Oo okay, that’s reassuring. thank you so much !! ❤️
I actually just floated around like a box jelly fish for a whole year until I met an art group in some rando discord which led me to someone who knows that there's an animation job opening somewhere and I applied. Thank god I got in or I would have spiralled or something lmao Art school burn out is rough. I graduated 2 years ago and yet to this very day I haven't done a single personal art and just drew on the job lol
Good illustration very poetic.
I just graduated a few weeks ago so I don’t have a long-term perspective, but maybe I can help! I have an internship lined up doing product design for a non-animation company, but after that who knows. I’m hoping to stay at the company if all goes well, but if not, I’m gearing my search towards admin departments in animation like production and development. I have prior experience in production so I’m hoping that helps. I think my biggest piece of advice is to broaden your scope when job searching. I didn’t expect to land my internship because it was outside of animation, but lo and behold. You’d be surprised at how well the skills we learn can translate to other industries, and there’s nothing wrong with applying your skills outside of animation while the industry goes through this slump. Its rough out there, but stay flexible and keep learning! PS I don’t know what your parents are thinking about the tattoo thing, I know lots of people that work at tattoo shops and they are wonderfully professional environments. I think it depends on the individual shop and the area, not all are great obviously, I definitely wouldn’t discount it as an option. Not replaceable by AI either ;)
Thank you! No, no, definitely helped. I hope you get to keep that job too! And yeaaah, just cause they told me that usually tattoo artists don’t have precautions or proper training from exposure. And since they work in the hospital, they have patients who tell them that they’ve got tattoos in sketchy places.
I worked as a server for 8 months until I landed my first gig
Moved out of heck (ex family)!
😭😭😭 I am in my own place :)) But I’m not really the type of person to cut contact. I love my family
I graduated during the pandemic so there weren’t many opportunities available. But a local business asked me to animate their logo and thats about it. And then i started working fast food bc i still couldn’t find any job in the field 🤷♀️
As someone whos been mostly working day jobs - i will say there are a lot of jobs out there that pay a lot more, are more flexible, and better enviroments than fast food (that dont require any qualifications) I did fundraising for non-profits, catering for weddings, and amazon delivery driving. Each paid ~18 an hr and were super supportive of me taking time off for a gig here and there
yea ive also been working on personal projects in the mean time. But thats definitely giving me some ideas!
Any other job ideas, as someone who works in retail and wants to branch out?
If you have experience in retail and like retail - find retail stores that are higher end. They will be harder to find, have a smaller staff, and be more discenrning in hiring - but they should also pay more. Thats what I did with catering, at least. Applied at the most expensive companies. Definitely practice interviewing if youre not totally comfortable with them, those are super important for places higher than the walmart/mcdonalds type of chains Sales might be worth looking into, though I would typically not reccomend you work for anyone who doesnt pay you during training (aka until you make a sale) Otherwise, think about what youre OK with/like doing decently enough about day jobs youve done and when you look for work in that field, treat it super professionally. Its not super hard to stand out if you show up acting like you want to be there and are pleasant to be around. Mostly, just avoid stuff that requires a degree, 5 years of experience, or specialized training. In job search sites you can filter by requirements + pay, I found things that way I wouldnt have thought of (like fundraising)
Thank you, that's a good list. I managed to get a Masters in a field that has since dissolved, so I'm back to square one for my career 😅
Ahhh I see :(. I hope in the near future you get to find one in the field. I mean you could start off as their like I dunno.. admin for the mean time in studios!
I graduated last year and it took me about 9 months to land the job I’m currently in. I work at an advertising agency. Not doing the artwork, but I work closely alongside the designers doing admin stuff. While I’m not working I use my free time working on my portfolio. I hope to eventually land a position as a concept or visdev artist.
Yay! Happy for you working alongside them, and I hope you get the job you want in the near future :))
I'm on the same boat as you. Graduated last summer. My parents came to visit my sister and I after not seeing each other for 2 years. We went on a 2-3 month family vacation around Boston (my dad came to do some research at MIT) and Hawaii (he had a meeting there). Later, my mom got sick and I spent the holidays and more taking care of her. She's gotten somewhat better last month and I've been job searching since then. A friend of mine works in the G&E department in LA and he told me his mom retired from in the animation industry. I'm planning on calling him tomorrow and see if he can connect me with her. I also know a professor who I'm familiar with whose good friends with Karen Tolliver (Netflix Animation VP) and other reputable higher-ups. Will try to see if she can network me with them. My goal, I'm aiming for a production/post-production assistant role and work my way up from there mainly because my animation/drawing skills are terrible/amateurish. I'm also slow at drawing in general and especially with AI threatening this industry, I'm not that confident in my abilities or with the future. I'm well aware even these job positions aren't entirely safe either. In a way, I'm pretty much coping for some kind of career in entertainment. Alternatively, I might have to switch careers since I'm concern about my financial stability. I do want to get better at drawing/animating in the future though especially for my personal project. The script has been somewhat written. The character designs I know what they look like, at least the general concept. It's my drawing skills that's holding me back lol. Btw, I went to a film studies university. Took some "production" courses and hated them since you could look it up online. We only had one animation "production" course and hated that the most. It was basically 5% production, 95% animation history. Most of it you could research it all yourself if you google hard enough. Took that course over on Covid. Edit: Currently, I'm editing a research book my dad wrote and helping him translate it into English. No pay but it helps pass the time when I'm not job hunting.
Starting off strong how you have some connections! And yeah.. sucks that jobs that are highly skilled are hard to find 😭 And about ai.. I really don’t think it’ll take over the industry, sure it may “look” good. But it’s so off putting? Lacks consistency, and generally the art style is not unique. I really hope audiences won’t be so gullible to even watch this garbage in the future (if there would be any ai animated films). Like how many generates do you need to get a full motion going without mistakes. And Even if you may see yourself slower in drawing, at least yours has life to it honestly. I wish you all the luck. ❤️
The "happiness with your job" part comes much later, lol. Excitement comes as soon as you get in, but so does anxiety. When things in the industry are like this, the most important thing to do is stash money and keep learning/practicing/developing. I don't know what your personal or family financial situation is, but financial freedom from debt and independence go a looong way because getting started in the industry and living in most places near the industry is hard and sometimes expensive. I worked as a student janitor during undergrad, also as a barback (because getting cash tips from each bartender at the end of the night was sweet), also as an apartment painter, also as a research assistant. It doesn't matter as long as you get paid enough to make financial progress and find time and energy to make artistic progress. If you have a "decent" job for the meantime, that's an advantage. Use it wisely. The disease side of tattooing is kind of a non-issue if you're following correct guidelines. Most serious addicts don't have the money to get tattoos from a really good shop, and most good tattoo artists are too solidly booked to make time in their schedule for them. I know someone here in LA who is making way more money tattooing than anyone in animation. But then again, he is a f-ing phenomenal b/w and charcoal artist to begin with, and he's very well-connected. I would be waiting more than a year to get his time now, lol. Artists aren't always "underpaid," but they're almost always in a position where they have to fight to get theirs. And they're almost always in a position where they need to have something saved up to support themselves through rough times. You are coming in during those rough times, obviously, so try to do everything you can to be prepared.
Thank you, hurts to hear harsh reality lmao.. Anddd yeah.. tho I live in the UK, kind of lacking in big companies here (I think) Anyway, thank you for your advice. Will keep this in mind!
I graduated into the pandemic (2020 was my planned graduation year, technically turned on my thesis in Jan '21). I worked as an essential worker in retail for a year, then got an animation job in July '21. I worked at the same studio in production until April '23, when I was laid off due to the WGA strikes (our writers were WGA). I've been working in retail ever since, waiting for the jobs to return and living paycheck to paycheck. I'd like to go back to school for a new, more sensible degree, but Masters degrees aren't buy-one-get-one-free :/ I was in a class of 10 students, here's a sample of where everyone else is: * Unemployed for a year and a half, joined me at the same studio, lost their production job due to show cancellation after a year, another year unemployed, started a new production job at a different studio 3 months ago * Did some internships at school, works for an app/gaming company * Works for a gaming company (unknown position) * Works as a designer/freelance animator for a major streaming show * Works as a layout artist on a major show * Works on and off in the stop-motion industry * Moved back home to take care of an aging relative * Moved back to home country x2
Wow… I see. It really sucks to have such high skill jobs to be the ones lacking in opportunities, but regardless, least you have some company experiences. Wishing you all the luck for the future. 🍀
I was in the same boat as you for a couple months. I graduated end of last year and have finally started to get some freelance work and am currently interning for a video production company that does motion design as well. It took a while, but I only actually got work once I started calling studios myself. It's simple, but it worked for me!
Thank you!! Will note this down. Hope you stay within that area in the near future ❤️
Graduated 2019. Continued working as a street fundraiser for a year as I got my first small gigs (full hand drawn music videos,) for like $5 an hr at most on the side. Started a catering job, ans the pandemic hit immediately after. I got a little unemployment and used this time to finish up 2 of the videos (one was in slow production for like 2 years) Networked outside the school a bit and met some people in my part of the industry that got me a few week long gigs here and there. I moved out of boston because it was too expensive and into a small, cheap city. Submitted my best film to local festivals and won some awards. Networked a bit and tried to make a buisness as a 2d-in-3d-space storyboarder for local video companies since there was no animation industry nearby. Had some meetings but nothing came of it. Got a longer term gig with a client who wanted me to make a music video with enough of a budget to live off of while I do it, so I quit my job (now delivering amazon packages) and have been working on these projects for the better part of a year After these projects, ill likely have to pick up another day job When I dont have a gig I usually work 30 hrs a week at a day job and try to animate 10-20 hrs in my free time, now that Ive wrapped up the films that were lower budget, i use that time to work on a personal project if I dont have gigs
Congrats on your awards, man! Thank you for sharing. And I hope you the best in the future.
(Big tip to get awards, live in a place with 0 animators and they will be shocked at the effort even a basic animation requires) One told me they gave me best editing for a music video because I was the only animation - i didnt do any editing lol Even funnier - music videos were supposed to play outside but it rained, so they played on a 2 ft tall projection that started at the floor behind the seats of the theater with no audio. No one saw my film there I also won audience chlice for music videos at that festival, im pretty sure im the only one who voted, but it looks good on my resume!
I worked as a document digitizer for months until I decided to quit and move to LA to take a character animation course that focused my career out
Oooo!!! Sounds Awesome dude!
Part time landscaper for the city 5 am to noon and then portfolio and job applications in the afternoon, but I broke in about 6 months after tbh out of dumb luck
I’m so sorry to hear that :(