Hi, I really really don’t want to go to college or school. It’s not the people or anything but I just never liked school and the idea of going through another four years and working hard for a goal I don’t even want is so tiring. I never liked doing school, everything about it was just so tiring and stressful. I really want to go into pre-production for animation and I know there are different avenues for getting my foot in the door without going to college. I understand how important college is for my future but I’m just so tired of school, I’ve been a pretty good A/B student with many extracurriculars but at this point, I never want to read an academic journal or write an essay ever again. I don’t want to take a gap year because I’m scared ill just end up not doing anything and angering my loved ones. Plus dealing with unnecessary debt and the idea of choosing classes and the whole big about college sounds stressful. I’m a senior right now but I’m just so confused.
I’m a firm believer of following your dreams, if you want to do animation and not go to college, go for it!
oh to continue, it’s like my ultimate goal is to work at a studio and get a job in pre-production. I know its work, I’m completely cool with that, in fact I want to work. I get to design and draw for a living. I just can’t stand doing school or the idea of college anymore.
What year are you now? Have you started college yet?
In general, you wouldn’t be the first or the last to go through this. For many people, 16 straight years of classroom is just too much, and many would benefit from a break.
Take a deep breath.
Take another.
Now - what would you need to do to become a graphic designer? What courses would you need to take, what programs would you need to attend, etc? Consider the shortest route from where you are to where you want to be.
In short - what is your present situation, and how would you plan to become a graphic designer? Look at people on LinkedIn with jobs of the type that you would like, and see what their education and career look like.
It may be that the best way is by attending a college. In that case, college is just an unpleasant task you need to do for 4 years. so that you can spend the next 50 years doing what you want. College will be “working hard for a goal you DO want”, which makes a huge difference.
You may even enjoy parts of it, especially if you are surrounded by people who share your interests.
If you are already in college, see whether your college has the opportunity for this training, otherwise look to transfer. There are a number of great colleges with degrees which will allow you to look for careers in graphic design.
Getting the education that you need in order to engage in a productive career in a field for which you have passion is NOT a failure, and is NOT a waste of time, and your loved ones will NOT be disappointed if you do so.
For now, though - get some sleep - you also seem exhausted.
Take care.
The idea is to gain marketable job skills of value to employers, so you can support yourself and a family. You also need something steady you can rely on if a particular dream doesn’t happen as expected. It’s part of becoming a functional adult. The problem with high school diplomas is that they’re generally a set-up for failure. They don’t come with any marketable trade skills when you graduate. You’re kind of on your own to figure those out.
Not to discourage, but there are some fields (graphic design), for instance, that are extremely difficult to get into, even with a college education. For something like that, it’s still prudent to have a back-up option (IT for instance) if that dream doesn’t go as expected at first.
If you want graphic design, you would be wise to go to college, but be prepared for an alternative career you can rely on, until you get your foot in the door with your dream.
"I just can’t stand doing school or the idea of college anymore. "
College isn’t for everybody, agree, especially if it’s stressful, you’d have a pretty negative attitude going in, which you definitely don’t want.
Your best option may be to attend community college while working on your studio career. Take the gen ed requirements so you can transfer if you want. You don’t even have to take 5 courses a semester or 3/4 a quarter. You can take a couple now, make some up in the summer. Especially with covid, don’t go to college for the sake of going to college. good luck, you’ll do fine!
I definitely agree that college / university is not for everyone. The majority of people in almost every country in the world never get a bachelor’s degree or equivalent, and still do fine.
Also, there is nothing wrong with graduating high school and then working for a year or two. This will substantially increase your perspective on life and on working. Some people work for a couple of years and then go to university. Some people work for a year or two, find that they are doing just fine, and do not ever go to university. You do not need to decide this now.
I believe that students who want to be in college and who know why they are in college are the ones that are likely to do well in college. It sounds like this is not you right now.
My suggestion is that you work hard to do as well as you can in high school. Then after you graduate from high school look for an appropriate job. If you find that what you want to do requires a couple of courses at a community college, then take a couple of courses at a community college.
You will figure this out over time.
You could consider community college as a possible compromise.
My D’17 went to community college for an AAS in graphic design. It was a 5 semester program that included the same number of design credits as a Bachelor’s (just less gen eds). Her roommate did a similar thing for animation. If your local cc doesn’t offer these degrees, expand your radius- DD moved an hour away to live at her cc.
She was all about getting right down to learning the trade and being done in 2 years debt free. I would say it was very valuable to get the training- she had puttered around with various programs and projects in HS but at college she learned a lot more! And the internship and jobs she has had expected her to pretty much be ready to handle everything from the start, so they were not really on-the-job training situations.
She applied and interviewed for many jobs before finally getting FT work in her field 10 months after graduation. It’s possible that the lack of a 4 year degree was an issue for some employers (none mentioned it) but she doesn’t regret the path she took.
Have a look at arts colleges. Also - College Confidential’s Arts Major forum - http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/visual-arts-film-majors/ And - A list of good schools for animation - https://www.animationcareerreview.com/articles/top-50-animation-schools-and-colleges-us-2020-college-rankings
Many students dislike certain aspects or the whole idea of school. You just haven’t found what you’re interested in yet.
Yes, why don’t you look at art schools? My nephew went to UVA in New York for film and the internships the school facilitated led to a great and successful career doing exactly what he wants to do. He didn’t actually finish the program given how things developed, but he would give it all the credit for what happened. I don’t know where you live, but if possible, take a tour of the animation facilities at one of these schools and see how you feel about it - being able to really focus on what you like and what you want to do might make a big difference.
As @tkoparent said, there are visual art schools that might interest you. Two big benefits are you’ll learn to use some of the more cutting edge equipment available today which will help you actually perform the work studios seek and they likely have internship relationships with the workplace which will help you get your start.
Know people at Disney animation and Dreamworks who went this route. You can probably get there or something like there on your own but it would take accessing technology, networking, likely volunteering at shops to build your portfolio, and ultimately figuring it all out on your own (all doable for the right person). School would represent a more structured route to get where you want to go. The other thing is the network you create. Have heard many times that people in the arts share a bond and try to help each other out.