If you’re interested in diving into animation, it is extremely helpful to have an experienced guide to hold your hand. Enrolling in an animation class can make a real difference in how confident you are taking on animation projects. Once you’ve decided that you are ready to enroll in an animation course, you’ll need to find a training center that will help you meet your learning goals. You’ll find many schools that can help you learn animation skills whether you’re an aspiring professional or a hobbyist. You’ll find different types of schools, and each will have its advantages and limitations. Understanding the differences will be key in choosing the right animation class for your needs.
Noble Desktop and Professional Training Centers
One of the best and simplest ways to find animation classes is through the Classes Near Me tool by Noble Desktop. This tool is a one-stop shop for prospective students who are looking for an animation class. With it, you can compare certificate programs and professional training centers. The majority of the courses you’ll find using the tool are focused on professional development, which means that students who complete these courses are well-positioned to find employment in animation. If you’re not ready to jump into the animation workforce or you’re only looking for a foundational education, you’ll be able to find introductory courses here too. Those who need professional skills quickly to apply to their current career or are interested in changing careers benefit the most from the Classes Near Me tool.
While fast and efficiency are appreciated, there are limitations. Professional training centers are attempting to balance an immersive animation education with a manageable length, which results in classes being more practical and career-focused. This is ideal for students who are most interested in quickly learning technical skills that are in-demand, but not so much for those who want to delve into the history, art, and science of animation on a deeper level. Students who are eager to learn how to create animations using After Effects will find classes like After Effects Bootcamp more rewarding than students who want to learn how to animate like Matt Groening or Wang 2mu.
Film Schools and Universities
If you’re looking for the most in-depth and broad education in animation, you’ll want to explore film schools and universities. While these schools and universities typically offer degrees, they also offer bootcamps and certificate programs that do not grant degrees after completion. Many of these programs are not beginner-friendly and may have prerequisites. Film schools and universities give students an immersive education that can allow students to work in animation and animation-related careers. You’ll cover theory, practical skills, history, and various animation tools and techniques over two to six years. Other advantages to degree programs include the network of peers and professionals you graduate with, career support services, and student services. These perks can help you land a job, develop an amazing demo reel, and get extra help with challenging coursework. Although degree programs are expensive and time-consuming, they are exclusionary. You’ll have to apply for acceptance, and acceptance is not guaranteed.
Coursera, Udemy, and On-Demand Learning Platforms
On-demand learning platforms like Coursera, Udemy, and Masterclass offer pre-recorded classes in animation and other topics. Many of these learning platforms allow users to price and upload their courses for site visitors to enroll in. Other platforms curate instructors and courses for better quality control. After completing a course, users can rate the course and the instructor. You can leverage these courses to learn animation basics and beyond. For students who are short on time and looking for a more economical education, on-demand platforms have many advantages, including being able to learn on your own time and learning technical skills like Premiere Pro and After Effects. The drawbacks to on-demand learning platforms include not having access to a live instructor, no real-time feedback, and classes not meeting your expectations. Sometimes classes are not what they seem, and it’s disappointing to spend time and energy on a class only to find that it isn’t what you need to meet your learning objectives or that the content is outdated.
Apprenticeships
Although apprenticeships are becoming increasingly rare, they do still exist. You can find an Animator to apprentice with major animation studios like Disney and Dreamworks. Apprenticeships are more like paid on-the-job training combined with a little classroom education with a guaranteed job after completion, but it should be noted that the structure of every apprenticeship will vary according to the program and requirements. Finding an apprenticeship may not be fast and easy, so you’ll need to pack your patience and continue practicing your animation skills so that you’ll be ready for an apprenticeship when it becomes available. Apprenticeships aren’t usually for beginners. If you have no prior experience with animation or animation tools, you will likely need to gain a foundational understanding before searching for apprenticeships. These are not typically beginner-friendly programs. If you’ve already completed a certificate program or bootcamp, an apprenticeship is a logical next step to deepen your understanding and skills and begin your animation resume.
YouTube and Free Online Learning Resources
You can also find many free online learning resources by simply searching the web. YouTube has a large selection of seminars and video tutorials that cover a broad range of animation topics. Depending on your level of understanding of animation, YouTube can be a great resource for seeing how some techniques and tools are used in real-world scenarios. If you’re a complete novice to animation, you may need to do additional research to understand what’s being covered in the video, but YouTube can answer your specific questions or help you hone your animation interests. You can also get free up-to-date tutorials on software vendor’s websites. These tutorials and articles are usually brief explanations that don’t take you on a deep dive.
Some of the advantages of using free online resources include gaining a quick understanding of animation techniques to satisfy prerequisites, working through current animation challenges in personal projects, reinforcing what you’re learning in an animation class, and learning whether or not animation is the right career path for you without making a large investment. Although there are many bright spots to leveraging free online resources, there are drawbacks. If a profession in animation is your ultimate goal, you’ll likely want to have more structured and interactive instruction. The personal guidance you’ll receive from a live instructor or mentor will help you fill in the holes that free resources tend to leave and help you build on what you learned using them. With feedback being limited, or non-existent in some instances, it’s difficult to know how well your practice is going and whether you’re being efficient or not. Quality assurance is another issue because it’s difficult for someone new to animation to identify if the instruction being given is up-to-date, correct, or of high quality. If you’re serious about becoming an Animator, then you’re going to have to make a significant investment in your education and your future.