Get Your Animation Degree Online

Animation is a diverse and growing field, with ample job opportunities working in website development, advertising, television, film and video game industries. Job titles for college graduates with an animation degree include:

Once you've learned how to combine the necessary computer skills with your own creative talents, the field is wide open. Online computer animation courses help give you the technical know-how necessary for this line of work, as well as helping you develop your abilities and round out your resume. Most entry-level positions in animation require at least a bachelor’s degree, and an increasing number of online animation programs also offer specific concentrations to give you a head start in your particular area of interest.

Once you've earned your animation degree online, who will want to hire you? Everyone from local businesses to Hollywood studios, that's who! It's just up to you to pursue the job most suited to your skills and inclinations. There are three top industries you could work in after graduating, not to mention starting your own consulting business after you've gained some industry experience. Here's a little more about what you could do in the film industry, the video game industry or the traditional and non-traditional business world.

The Film Industry

There is always a high demand for trained animators in the film industry, as hundreds of people are needed to produce each animated and special effects feature. Some animators work as storyboard artists, interpreting the script to plan the shots, or they help visualize the story and maintain continuity. Layout artists create the background for the scene, building on the storyboard to fashion the world where the animated action will take place.

Many people enter the field as "in-betweeners," often working as a team to fill in the action and transitions; if you imagine the key drawings made by the lead animators as two slices of bread, the "in-betweeners" provide the essential filling that connects them.

Other animators work as character and environment modelers for claymation-style features such as Wallace and Grommit or for films featuring computer-generated characters and effects like Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean. Other big studios, Dreamworks, Pixar and Warner Brothers, employ many animators at every level, with opportunities to advance with experience and dedication.

The Video Game Industry

Challenge your brain to design successive levels of complicated video games. In the computer gaming industry, you can use your animation degree to find work as a conceptual game designer or a more hands-on game animator, often with plenty of artistic opportunity. For example, games like Squaresoft's Final Fantasy demonstrate how incredible the artistry of a game's animation can be.

And sometimes games even develop into animated films, offering further creative and economic opportunities for animators. In this industry, you'll find job titles such as game-play tester, 2-D conceptual artist, 3-D character builder, 3-D object modeler, interactivity designer, background artist and more.

The Business World

In addition to the film and games industry, your animation skills also open up a wide range of job opportunities in the world of business. Whether it’s making eye-catching flash websites, creating animation-based TV ads, or designing everyday animated features for interactive media such as cell phones, computers and PDAs, many companies need the creative and technological services of someone trained in animation.

When choosing the right degree program for you, there are many factors to consider, including learning styles, schedule restrictions and course logistics. These days, more and more students are looking to accredited online computer animation courses and degree programs for the flexibility and unique format they offer. Many students find that online animation programs allow them to better balance their lives with animation schooling.

There are several routes to take when looking to earn a degree in animation.

• Bachelor of Science (BS) degree in media arts and animation, game art and design or information technology with an animation emphasis. These programs emphasize computer technology

• Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) or Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree in animation and visual effects; these programs feature curricula slanted more towards developing creative skills, but still provide solid and essential technological training.

If you're not sure if you have the time or energy it takes to earn your bachelor's degree, or just aren't quite sure what you want to specialize in yet, some computer animation schools also offer associate's degrees and certificates in animation, visual effects and digital design. All of these degrees can be pursued via online computer animation programs. Working through well-established schools with online branches and reputable online universities, taking these types of courses will give you a broader perspective on what career paths are out there.

Animation courses teach you advanced 2-D and 3-D animation principles and offer specialized training with relevant design software and digital equipment. Online animation courses can include work with programs such as Adobe Photoshop, Adobe After Effects, 3D Studio Max, Macromedia Flash and other digital software, giving you technological familiarity and confidence when you enter the job market.

In addition to technical aptitude, strong communication skills and teamwork are also crucial in the animation field. Online study offers a unique opportunity to develop these assets, since the courses are based on ongoing communication between professors and students, and often feature team projects requiring creative and technological collaboration. Animation artwork and projects are submitted and reviewed online, further encouraging the use of technologies that are key to this particular medium and career.

For those interested in embarking on an exciting and ever-changing creative career, now is the perfect time to sign up for that first online course at an online computer animation school, earn your degree and get started on your exciting new career in animation.