[DrJones]

In your experience, does that hard earned, expensive degree translate into more jobs and higher salaries, or can people who work hard and train on their own do just as well? Are there many successful artists in the industry that are self taught?

[HYPERanim8OR]

I'm self taught but it was because I started 20 years ago and the field of computer animation was not for the average person.

It seems to me that the art usually speaks for itself. Demo Reels and Portfolios seem to have a much more important role to play than education.

You can have all the education in the world and still be a mediocre artist and vice versa.

I'm wondering what employers feel about that? Any out there, what are your thoughts?

-Paul

[jeffsimpsonkh]

If you love doing something, odds are you going to be mostly self taught - even if you DO go to school, I find...Schools are only as good as the instructors, I've found. But then, I am a very pessimistic/stubborn kinda person

[DrJones]

I agree jeff. I think the most successful people at my school were self starters and didn't stop learning or pushing themselves when the classes ended.

In my opinion, the best aspect of college for me was the networking with alumni after graduation, and the recruiters that came to the school to interview. Just having contacts at companies was a great place to start, and it has served me well throughout my career. It's fun to work at a place and find someone who went to my school.

That said, I didn't get hired by any of the companies that came to visit, but I did get my first job through an alumni and friend I knew in a graduating class before me. Definitely helped get my foot in the door. If you can afford it, I would say go to school, and work harder than anybody else there. But if you can't afford it and you want in bad enough, you can get in the industry. Determination, work ethic, and passion are the keys to success.

[lhasa_NIGHTS]

Originally Posted by jeffsimpsonkh

If you love doing something, odds are you going to be mostly self taught - even if you DO go to school

I agree. As with my schooling experience, the students that get great jobs are the ones who taught (and still teach) themselves tons of extra material outside of class(work). I also agree that school is a really good place for networking. Even if you run into alumni that you've never personally met, you still have that whole 'six degrees of separation' going on and you can easily find mutual connections.

Also, peer-to-peer tutoring is so awesome. Helping other students with your strong points, and having them help you with your weak points, it's a really positive environment. Sometimes I feel that I'm learning more from my peers than my teachers - which isn't necessarily a good thing - but I wouldn't have met them in the first place without attending school.

Actually, I'm graduating this fall...

[alex]

self taught for sure.

of course i think college is pretty much a scam to get everyone in debt right out of high school. unless you're going to be a lawyer, doctor, engineer, or something else that requires that kind of precision and can pose a threat to people's livelyhood, its not really all that necessary. the information is out there, and anyone dedicated can learn it one their own. your average person will go to college, rack up debt, and come out with a degree they will never, ever use.

that goes double for artists, because at the end of the day ALL skill, is entirely self taught. taking courses and being around other artists can speed up that process. but it's nothing some curiosity, passion for knowledge, and some artistic friends couldn't challenge (hello art communities). its all like solving puzzles. figuring out how things work. how colors, form, light, etc interact, what compositions look good. i always found that a good 90% of art courses/books tends to fall under common sense. implementing it into practice is where the skill comes in.

from my experience many art students just want to be art students for the label. most don't care about actually taking the time to learn their craft and will try to take the easiest route to getting the degree as possible, which will get them a nice piece of paper that says they can take courses, and a mediocre portfolio that says they didn't really learn all that much in those courses. the ones who really spend their time on their craft outside of schooling are the ones who successfully grow.

the other thing school is good for is networking, but i've found you can quite easily get around that as well. especially in this day and age with the internet and things like art communities being so prominent.


i've had quite a few colleagues that have had no formal training, but are astounding artists. i don't think they're kicking themselves over not going to art school.

i left art school (went for a while, figured out it had nothing to offer and decided i'd rather make money than pay for nothing with money i didn't have) and i wish i would have left sooner. wouldn't have spent thousands of dollars on such a complete and utter waste of my time.


anyway, just my thoughts over my experience.
i'm sure others have had vastly different ones.

all depends on the type of person you are, i guess.
some people are better off with it. some can do fine without it.

the one thing i learned from school is that it wasn't really all that necessary.

[jeffsimpsonkh]

Yeah I think Alex might be right.


...though I went to school for 4 years and got a degree in a field I'm not doing/ever want to do again (animation)

[jenmundy]

Originally Posted by jeffsimpsonkh

If you love doing something, odds are you going to be mostly self taught - even if you DO go to school, I find...Schools are only as good as the instructors, I've found. But then, I am a very pessimistic/stubborn kinda person

^ This.

No matter how much schooling someone has, if they don't love what they do, I don't think it matters-- as far as creative fields go. Also, schools are definitely only as good as their instructors... but no matter how great a teacher is, it makes no difference if the student isn't just as passionate.

I think most success stories in art related fields tend to rely on a 10% talent, 90% drive ratio.

[Colin-Ashcroft]

Even though I feel a Degree does not mean much in the eyes of art directors the course itself was invaluable to me. It introduced and gave me understanding in Animation and photoshop for example. It showed me what was possible and I was a round like minded people which gives you enthusiasm and motivation. The equipment and experience was there for you to use. I was also lucky that one of my tutors was active in the industry. So this gave us an insight and some great information. Just like communities such as CG HUB!

But I do think we are going off the point slightly here. The original question to start the thread was

Originally Posted by DrJones

In your experience, does that hard earned, expensive degree translate into more jobs and higher salaries, or can people who work hard and train on their own do just as well? Are there many successful artists in the industry that are self taught?

[JoeConti]

Talent and dedication are more important to succeed than any degree or art course.

Some training obviously does help, especially when you're just starting out, but they can only take you to a certain level before you have to keep at it on your own.

[JamesPotter]

A degree sometimes helps to give you access to equipment and constructive feedback about your work, but I would agree that one needs to practice as often as possible.

[Colin-Ashcroft]

Practice and have an understanding of colour. composition and anatomy for example. Like has been said you get so far and then some people will never go any further. They will stop at a certain level. Where other people will be self dedicated and motivated and have a drive/passion and will go on to create great things!

[BrianLuk]

A degree is just receipt, you only get what you put in at a school. At the end of the day it's up to you whether you can do the job.

If you plan on going to an art school, be sure to attend the one where the student work impresses you. Because that will be the quality of learning you will be receiving. Good Luck.

[JamesDonVito]

The answer: No. You won't make more money or be hired more often just because of the school on your resume, but it will give you a stronger chance of getting studios to look at your work.
-And thereby give you chance of getting more gigs.

Learning never stops at school, that's the cool thing about art; you never get done learning!

James DonVito
more here: http://destinationconceptartist.com/

[TylinaVespart]

The more I look at it, the pickier I am about the universities I'd even Want to get into. I'll by aiming for a degree, but that's more so that I can leave the country than anything else. It's amazing what a bit of paper will do for your options.