Moho Animation Forum

This is exciting! My graphics design teacher had recommended me for a city art scholarship; for my work sample, I submitted my 2013 animation demo reel:

I was notified that I was one of three recipients for the $1,000 scholarship! The crazy thing about all this: I'm not enrolling into an art school, and I'm not even majoring in art; I'm majoring in computer science. Because of that, I didn't think I had much of a chance at being a recipient.

Choosing my major was a very difficult decision; I have more passion for animation than anything else. However, after taking AP Computer Science and considering the demand for computer science majors, I decided it was best to choose a major that would more likely promise a financially-benefiting and stable career. In my "dream university," I would be able to major in Computer Science and Animation, but such a university doesn't exist anywhere near my area...
I will continue animating on the side, and, if everything goes according to plan, I just might be able to pursue an animation degree after receiving my computer science degree.

But, now, I have some important questions to ask of all the employed animators on this forum:

Did you receive a degree in animation/art?
If so, do you think a degree is entirely necessary?
--Or, do people with degree's generally have better demo reels?

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank all the forum members for helping me throughout the years; I never received official animation tutoring, and I don't think I'd be where I am now, with the scholarship, without the help of the forum and the AS software itself.
So, thank you.

Congratulations and good luck! I've got an art degree, and that has proved useful on a number of occasions, career-wise. Was it entirely necessary? That's a really hard question to answer. Many extremely successful businessmen dropped out of college, and I've taught students with art degrees that found difficulty in drawing! I always thought this was incredible, but maybe that just proves I'm an old fogey...

I don't have any experience reviewing students' demo reels, so I can't help you there.

jahnocli wrote:Congratulations and good luck! I've got an art degree, and that has proved useful on a number of occasions, career-wise. Was it entirely necessary? That's a really hard question to answer. Many extremely successful businessmen dropped out of college, and I've taught students with art degrees that found difficulty in drawing! I always thought this was incredible, but maybe that just proves I'm an old fogey...

I don't have any experience reviewing students' demo reels, so I can't help you there.

Thank you very much, jahncoli. Just out of curiosity, is your art degree specifically in animation, or is it general art?
I've been considering taking a minor in art, though I'm unsure whether or not it would benefit me as an animator.

ianmage1 wrote:Just out of curiosity, is your art degree specifically in animation, or is it general art?

General art -- fine art (painting). Wish I'd taken an animation course, but hey, don't have many regrets!

Congratulations on the scholarship! That is awesome! I don't have an art degree, but I'm sure a minor in art would help you with animation, especially figure drawing classes for your character animation. At least that's what they always say in the animation books. :D And since your work seems to explore cinematography already, I bet you would also enjoy some film classes.