Should I Go To College to Become a 3D Artist?
The 2 Types of People Who Should Go To College...Everyone Else Can Skip It
“Do I need a college degree to be a 3D Artist?”
That’s one of the most common questions I receive. I get emails about it. I see it in Discord. It’s almost a daily occurrence on the Animation subreddit. It’s a totally understandable question since aspiring artists don’t know the path from where they sit today to the career they want to achieve.
So here is my answer…
There are two reasons and two reasons only why I recommend getting a degree in this industry.
You currently live somewhere and want the freedom to work in a different country. Work visas often require having a college degree so allowing for that flexibility is big for some people. Also, student visas are often easier to obtain and a good entry into your desired country.
You thrive and learn best in a traditional academic environment. You know yourself better than anyone. Are you someone that enjoys the classroom structure? Do you find it difficult to motivate yourself to complete that online tutorial? Then maybe a more structured approach to growing is best for you.
That’s it. Those are the only two instances I recommend getting an advanced degree in 3D or animation. Notice that I did not say it would help you get a job because I genuinely feel it won’t. Your work will land you the job, not your degree.
Does college allow you to start building connections with others in the industry? Sure but there are some big drawbacks:
You’re generally only making connections to other newbies. If you get into the industry faster, you can begin networking with noobs and well-seasoned veterans too.
More and more college courses are being offered online and the opportunity to build your network is decreasing.
It’s just not worth generating six-figure debt to build connections.
Instead, you can save tens of thousands of dollars by focusing your learning on online courses and finding yourself an experienced mentor to work with. A mentor is huge because they can provide industry-level feedback on your work to elevate your craft to the next level.
Do I think getting a college degree is bad? Absolutely not. I got went back to school to learn 3D since that was the best way for me to educate myself. I thrived in that environment and it helped develop my skills to the point where I could be competitive for a job. I came out with lots of debt that needed to be paid but it was the best environment for me to grow. I just wouldn’t recommend it to everyone.
So always remember to focus on the artwork you are producing and not some degree. When you are in a creative field, your portfolio or demo reel is everything. You must demonstrate that you can do the job well before anyone will even look at your resume. If your work is inadequate, recruiters and hiring managers won’t even see where you went to school because they will already be looking at the next candidate.
So focus on skills.
Focus on the ways that you learn best and evolve yourself that way.
Focus on creating work that demonstrates your abilities to potential employers and you will get there!
3D News of the Week
A roundup of interesting 3D-related news you may have missed this week.
NVidia announces a text-to-3D model initiative called Magic 3D - arstechica.com
Pixar releases the Elemental Teaser Trailer - youtube.com
Best 3D Artist Black Friday Deals - cgchannel.com
Volumetric Planet VFX Pack for Blender Eevee - 80.lv
Why the World Needs More 3D Designers - itsnicethat.com
New Kia Logo commits the ultimate design crime - creativebloq.com
3D Artist of the Week
Skeeva is one of the most talented and productive 3D Artists working today. His mix of fashion design and surrealism is absolutely inspiring to me and I would highly recommend checking out his entire collection.
3D Tutorials
The longtime voice of Substance, Wes McDermott, released an incredible tutorial on creating a realistic dent effect in Substance 3D Painter using anchor points and a little cleverness. Check it out here!