<p>(cross-post from Visual Arts and Film Majors, post titled "@People in the cartoon industry (pref. California): Guide me please?")</p>
<p>Hellooooo CC! This is my situation, and I'll just tell it to you straight.</p>
<p>First off, I'll introduce myself by saying that I'm trying to become an animator someday, hopefully for kids. Unfortunately, I come from a family with a modest budget, which automatically ruled out art school (any school outside of California, for that matter). I'm currently a freshman at a University of California on grants and financial aid. Film and Media Studies is the closest alternative major to animation. I am grateful to be part of such a great university system, but I see now that its programs and atmosphere are no fit for me. Realizing the mismatch a little too late, I've narrowed down my future academic career to a few options (all of which require me to make fast-approaching decisions!):
[list=a]
[li]Finish my GEs at my UC for one more year. Transfer to a state school offering animation. This is the option I've been most set on because it seems like the fastest way to start studying animation. But I think the atmosphere of the suburbs and the school are slowly driving me crazy, which pushes me toward option B...</p>[/li]
<p>[li]Finish my GEs at a community college for a year. Transfer to a state school offering animation. My counselor says this is probably my best option, as schools in California prioritize community college transfers. Also, I'm from the San Francisco area so my creative juices wouldn't die out like it does here in the suburbs. It'd also save some money. The cons are 1) I'd have to deal with the transferability of the GEs I've already completed and 2) I hear class offerings are painfully limited in space and variety.</p>[/li]
<p>[<em>]Stay at my UC and double major in Studio Art and Film Studies. Hopefully go to grad school to *finally</em> study animation and get an MFA for it. These majors involve much more academic and theoretical work/writing than they involve actual hands-on practice in either art or film, but it's the closest we have here. This seems to be the "smartest" option (more intern/job offerings after undergrad for double majors, I'm assuming), but it'd take a lot more time and I'd have to stay here, where the atmosphere is just not for me. Also, I'd have to draw the connections between art and film by myself, unlike option A and B where I'd study animation on the get-go.[/list]</p>
<p>In the meantime, I've been working to keep my grades up while reading up about animation on my own, but it's very difficult to stay happy/motivated when I haven't been able to enroll in any art classes. I've never felt more lost or misplaced... I'm sort of at my wit's end here.</p>
<p>So, animators/animation majors, UC-CC transfers, please guide me!! Which of the 3 will yield the best prospects for an aspiring animator? Also, what public school in California do you think would be best in terms of location/animation offerings? Thanks for any advice. And thanks cc for hearing me out.</p>
<p>Sincerely,
A tired and uninspired Lunith</p>
<p>*TL;DR:
Which of these should I do to become an animator:
[list=a]
[<em>]Transfer out of my UC to go to a CSU to get my BA animation
[</em>]Transfer out of my UC to CCC then to a CSU to get my BA in animation
[<em>]Stay at my UC, double major in slightly irrelevant topics, then try to get into grad school to get an MFA in animation
[/list]
Important things to note:
[ul]Art schools and private schools are not options for me because of financial issues.
[</em>]I don't like my UC's atmosphere.
[li]I might be happier at a CCC because I am from San Francisco, but GE transferability issues are gonna stink.[/li][/ul]
*</p>