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8 Reasons why you should avoid 3 years of BSC in animation and VFX
Hello friends, VFX and Animation being a booming but a new field is very less explored and students generally get misguided and end up taking a wrong path eventually playing out with their time and career. We will today tell you 8 reasons about why one should not go for degree in animation and vfx (BSC in animation and vfx, BA in animation and vfx); not just that we will also give you the best solution that will not only save your huge time and money but will also build up your great career. So here is the list of reasons for not doing 3D animation and VFX degree.
- TIME CONSUMING – Degree courses in vfx and animation are 3 years course after 12th standard. To learn VFX from basics to advanced level 1 year is more than enough however, as per the govt mandate if any institute or college has to award a degree to any students then they must have to provide a 3 years course duration. Student end up taking these degrees in vfx courses thinking that the degree will provide them the job however they fail to understand that VFX is a skill-based career and has got nothing to do with the degree qualification of an individual. So, one can learn advance VFX in 1 years’ time and can save money and most importantly time. In these degree courses one spends huge time and money and actually learn basics of vfx.
- BASIC NATURE OF THE COURSE – VFX is a skill-based career and as a student or a parent, one must look at the syllabus that is being taught and not look at the degree that is being awarded. Degree and fancy national / international educational associations is a marketing gimmick being played upon by the institutes to lure the students; however, in this career skill and talent of an individual matters and no one is interested in the degree that a person is holding. Degree in VFX & animation courses are designed to train students on a very basic level generically. Generic here means that the  students are taught basics of all the various VFX departments and are not trained deeply in any of the specialization.(Students are later on trained generically for VFX industry in 3rd year or last year of their course where in they also have to do a project for minimum 3 months that means students are actually trained for VFX for only 4 to 6 months in 3 years of time that too in a generic manner).
- WRONG TEACHING APPROACH – BSC in animation and VFX courses are treated more of like a degree based regular career by most of the institutes which includes many big brands. Lengthy time duration and generic nature of the course creates confusion in mind of students about their movement ahead in this field. VFX is a huge field and its pipeline consists of various departments that work together in liaison to deliver one output. Each of these departments (viz. Concept, Modelling, Texturing, Rigging, Animation, Lighting, FX and Compositing) are huge and need highly trained specialist to deliver a quality output as per client requirement. No one can learn all of these specializations altogether in entire lifetime duration and having said that even if some one learns then too that person will eventually work in only one department so learning all of it is not recommended. So, the courses wherein they try to teach students everything (all specializations) is incorrect. Advance specialized learning can build up better career.
- DEVELOPS INDUSTRY SURVIVOR ATTITUDE – Many students who pass out from animation and vfx degree courses take job as a graphic designer  due to poor VFX training and no placement support from the institutes. Few students who self-work and acquire skills somehow manage to take a job in vfx industry, however most of them starts to learn advance vfx after joining the job since they are trained generically and are not specialized in any of the departments. This somehow makes them less confident and makes them a survivor in the industry rather than becoming a confident performer; this hampers their career growth in short as well as long term.
- SLOW CAREER GROWTH – Students after completing their degree in animation and vfx realize that whatever they learned in 3 years of time was very generic and that they should have taken an advance specialized course earlier at the start. As a result of this, students after completing degree look for an advance course wherein again, they have to spend a year or so in training and start job after that. Some students after completing BSC in  animation or BA in animation go for MSC in animation which is again a generic course and a wrong choice which costs them money and time with less or no output. So, if a student joins job in a production house after completing Degree in VFX then he is delayed by 2 years for starting a job; student if starts job after completing MSC in animation then that student has delayed his career by 4 years. Student needs to understand that its better to start working early since VFX is a skill-based industry. Higher degree doesn’t give you a higher position or higher package. It all depends upon the skill and experience of a person. Person may choose to do an advance specialized course of 1 year in one department after 12th grade and can start working immediately in production right away (education to be continued through open universities side by side) against a degree course in animation or vfx which takes unnecessary time and decelerates the career growth.
-  IRRELEVANT SYLLABUS – If you will study the syllabus pattern of these degree courses then, students in first 2 years of their curriculum are trained on graphic designing, web designing, sound editing, video editing and many more other topics that are not at all relevant to VFX and ANIMATION industry.  Please understand that video editing, sound editing, graphics design, web design, VFX etc. are all the different career paths. It is like a person who wants to be a cricketer is being trained on badminton, table tennis etc. which is completely incorrect. If you want to be a cricketer then you must be trained on to play cricket only.
- OLD TECHNIQUES – There are different techniques used by VFX artists to create effects. These techniques are not updated by the institutions and as a result student are not taught latest updated techniques that are relevant or in demand to the current industry. Just understanding software tools are not important and this can be done by self-learning itself; techniques are important and it could by taught by only the one who has relevant experience and skill set. So, it is very important that who is teaching and what is being taught.
-  IRRELEVANT SOFTWARES – Students are often misguided by offering them to teach a greater number of softwares during the 3 years of vfx degree courses. One must understand that learning a greater number of softwares in a basic manner does not help. Most of the softwares that are taught during this training are irrelevant to VFX industry. Learning VFX softwares that are outdated or not in demand is again not recommended. Hence, we do not recommend students to go for BSC in animation / BA in animation or any other degree, diploma courses that are timelining for more that 12 to 14 months. This will not just save your money but it will save most importantly your time.Â
- SOLUTION – To kick start career in VFX, look for an advance specialized course in any one department and start training; look for a good institute that can teach you updated skill techniques. Course should take minimum 3 to maximum 12 months to train from basic to advance level. Syllabus of the course must be relevant to the specialization and also softwares taught should be relevant to the specialization and globally demanded. Students must start working at an early stage right after the course and can continue education side by side through open universities. To understand the solution in detail, kindly go through the below mentioned blogs for sure that will provide you an excellent clarity about this career and industry.
Things you should know while choosing VFX as a career.
Common myths and misconceptions students have towards vfx career
Third link to be added
Even after reading the above blogs if you still have any confusion or questions to clarify then feel free to connect to Open Slate VFX School. Just drop in a SMS or Whatsapp on +91-8530171212 with your name and city, out team will connect you back to provide you honest guidance that will help you take right decision. Open Slate is not just a training institute but also a VFX studio and hence it ensures world class quality education with relevant placement assistance. If you like our blog then do subscribe. Thank you!
