I think it all comes down to the basics of real life, which makes me agree with leigh that going to school doesnt secure a job. Look at it this way:
A studio needs people capable of doing the job, whatever it is; animation, vfx, modelling, rigging, cleaning, anything. They don’t care if you can write a response to a Roland Barthes essay, which of course would be nice to have culturally and intellectually prepared people, but the core of what they look for is ‘skills to complete and compete in the industry they are in’
Taking that in consideration look into your options. A school, no matter how much you pay will be as good as their instructors plus the students they accept, because in the end its a two way contract: you get what you put in, and what the people around you can offer.
I think your situation is actually pretty good, you already have the academic training, which puts you in a good curriculum position, now you just need to get the right skills to get that job you want. You can definitely learn by yourself, but it will always be way better to have somebody by your side who knows what they are talking about. Take a look at different schools who offer focused skill sets, don’t go for a generalist school since you already have an arts degree, find what you really want.
One of my top recommendations would be CG Spectrum, it’s an online CG school with a new philosophy and method that I think is very amazing. I’m an animation student there myself, and I honestly have learned more in 6 months with them than in three years of art school (talking about industry skills). They assign you a mentor per semester, with classes no bigger than 5 people, so you get space and time to have personalized training while at the same time you are constantly being reviewed by your peers, and also critiquing other people’s work. Plus it’s a great networking experience because you are talking live with people from all around the world, right from your home.
The program is very focused and taken seriously. I’m animating pretty much every day, and whenever I need some input I either get it from my classmates or I email my mentor directly who will take a look at my software file and give me a critique and advice on how he would attack the problem. The great side about this is that they are all industry professionals, who have worked on projects like Avatar, Rango, Tin Tin, The Hobbit, etc. and you have all of this people constantly reviewing your work and feeding you with industry oriented tips and workflow. The program is very focused on industry standards, but the artistic side of things is always on top, since this is an art, they also encourage personal expression a lot; they never try to force you to work the way the do.
The program is just one year, and you finish with a high level demo reel and a set of industry contacts to start connecting with studios around the world. Plus friends from different places that will also become your contacts and colleages for life.
Take a look at their programs:
http://cgspectrum.com/
They offer full time programs and scholarships, and have different cool other categories like Rent-A-Mentor which is basically a pay-as-you-go program where you pay for a one time lesson with any mentor, you check the lesson, do the assignment and get a critique from your mentor when you are done, after that you decide when you want to continue with the next lesson.
From what you say I would go for the full program though, since it will get you ready faster and you can take advantage of your art background to make it a better experience.
About the placement rate, this goes back to what I said first. No matter what school you go to it will always come down to whatever you put in. High level students will do great anywhere, although it is a huge advantage to also have instructors that can take your talent and motivation to the next level.
Hope it helps, and good luck on your career!
