Where do I go to get a job as an animator?

Hello Yamil!

There's really not a step by step direct route to be becoming an animator, which is why I'm sure you are posting this question. I personally believe that most people are interested in animation because of a certain scene in a feature has touched them in some way. For me, it was the work in Disney's earlier features such as The Jungle Book, Dumbo, and 101 Dalmatians. As I learned more about the task of animation, I had to really give much credit to the people behind those films because they were really figuring it out as they went along. Today, we have less figuring out of the process to do, largely in part to those artists, who wrote amazing books about animation. I would start by reading The Illusion of Life by Ollie Johnston and Frank Thomas. They were some of Disney's best animators and the book opens your eyes to the subtle secrets of making drawings/renders come to life. Another invaluable book on animation is The Animator's Survival Kit by Richard Williams; my copy of this book is so well worn that its barely altogether. I have referenced it a ton of times in my career. After reading those, find out if your school has access to 3D software. Some companies even provide free access to their software, such as Autodesk, for students and its the same software that i use every day at work. Once you feel comfortable with the software, I would encourage you to practice, practice, and practice some more. The more work you do, the better your timing will be and you will be faster and faster at it every day. I would agree that looking into a good art school with a good animation program is definitely something that you want to do, but you can start learning on your own now. The thing to keep in mind is that as an animator, you are as valuable as your work is good. Best of luck and keep practicing!

-Kip

Try to get into an animation program to gain experience in understanding what an animator does. It becomes tedious frame-by-frame work at times, and you need to understand the importance of this part of the job. Try taking coursework in animation over the summer if it is not offered at your school. Even if you know the basics, you can always get better, so try animation workshops offered int your area. Definitely, find a summer job/internship working at a local animation company - keep in mind it might be an unpaid internship. This gives you experience in the field and looks excellent on your resume - it shows that you took the next step in trying to build your passion. Disney/Pixar Studios offers a competitive summer internship at their animation studios - http://disneycareers.com/en/career-areas/students-recent-grads/internships-co-ops/. Gain experience during your Freshman and Sophmore summers and try for this during your Junior and Senior years. You can also apply for this during college. It look fantastic on the resume! In college, look into a computer animation/ graphics based major. Perhaps video game design if it interests you? However, keep your eye out for internships and jobs at animation companies throughout college. This on job experience is valuable and important to get hired out of college.

Hello Yamil,

There is insane amount of resources online along with many free programs out there to research and study up on. If you can buy the Animators Survival Kit it is the bible for all animators. Try to figure out what specific discipline you might want to get into whether it be storyboarding, strictly animating, character artist, bg artist, etc.
Think about schooling whether it be a physical school when you finish high school or online schools which usually arent accredited but are taught by real working professionals.
Research more into what you might want to do more in terms of specialty within the animation field and try to get a head start and begin practicing in your free time. Once you practice, practice more.
“Every artist has thousands of bad drawings in them and the only way to get rid of them is to draw them out.” ~ Chuck Jones
Best of luck!