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Hey All, Im new to CGtalk and im pretending to attend VFS in JuLY of 2010
in the 3D animation and special effects programm
I have a really big question im 18 i graduated from high school last year when graduating from VFS and searching for a job, it is important to have a Bachelors degree or university title?
depends on where you want to work after graduation:) If you’re aming for a job in the US then definitely. To be able to work there you’ll need either a degree or a lot of experience [many years], which you do not have yet. VFS has a lot of US students too, who will be the first to get hired. Getting a degree now would definitely help you in the future
hey ! i wanna do some sarcasm too !..:arteest:
just wanna say how lucky i am, thanks to my parents who manage to save money for me to go college + im born in the canada. now with a degree in hand, and a future job in one of many top studios in US, now i can say to people who are just starting out that having a degree and years of experience is a must having a crappy demo reel is not a problem as long you have a degree from top school.in the other hand having a good demo reel with no degree is just a waste of time.just try and do some research.all of the studios are demanding for a degree !!
breaking in to industry is really really extremely damn super hard ! you cant learn 3d all by yourself.it will lead you to nowhere !!.DVD’s tutorial and book were specially made for “certain” people or hobbyist,they were uselless if you not in a university/school/no experience at all.
so to poor people or i say unlucky people out there. you should know by the price of the software itself that this field is not for you guys. if there any guys out there that have talent but no “luck”. kiss your passion and hardwork goodbye 
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“you should have the money to get some money”-letther_ichbemorerich[/right]
Sorry friend , But i do not agree with you on this one. No its not true, Self education can lead you anywhere you want. No degree can lead you any where you want, i am self taught. I trained my self for 4 years and then for another 2 years i got education from a school. Schools only teach you tools. If you are creative enough u can explore your self. Self studying is not a waste of time, Not at all. and you shouldnt say that (so to poor people or i say unlucky people out there. you should know by the price of the software itself that this field is not for you guys.) its kinda harsh.
Even people with degree and shitty demoreel get job , gets fired later as they cant fit in the pipeline.
I think, You can learn a lot by yourself in fact almost evrything about 3D world will be learned by ourselves but schools offer different tools and ways to manage that knowledge for the future, i think you need A degree and the will to make a good reel and it depends on yourself to be good or not!.
I think he’s being sarcastic =)
Though I agree that it lacks finesse for such sarcasm.
This may sound a little thick, but I presume a degree in the relevant field(animation or illustration) required? Not one in another field say like computer science?
My understanding is pretty much any 4 year uni degree will do. They don’t care what it is in.
well anyway, im going to VFS this June/2010, 3d program of course… i was wondering what is the average age of a VFS student, i mean all i hear is about a lot of guys with titles already, im only 18 years old (will be 19 when i get there), i do feel confident of being able to manage the pressure of VFS, but i dont really wanna feel like the little kid in there (as i felt in my previous 3d course).
anyway anything you guys think i should bring to vancouver?
i got a intuos 3 tablet, of course im bringing that, i read that bringing a laptop would be a nice idea, probably getting a small one for checking emails, and to use it as another monitor anything else that could help?
the weather there? how is it? should i bring lot of warm clothes?
hey! take with you lot of redbull and dont take any online game’s account or u gonna spend lot of time playing online games.
have fun in these last few months before VFS
yes take ur laptop, it s a good thing to have it… but not really for vfs as u wont need it at school.
a second monitor can help u mainly in the ant farm, after 6 months.
about the weather: june it s gonna be “warm”, in winter the temperature drop around 0-5 degree. anyway google it and see the average annual temperature.
i hope u r very focused in what u want to do (3D) as it will be easy to get distract, most of all if it s the first time u live on ur own.
good luck!
hahaha yeah thx almagesto, thankfully i stopped playing WoW about 2 years ago 
soo any games wont be problem… maybe CoD ><. thx a lot man.
Well after spending pretty much all day reading almost the entire thread I have to say, information overload lol. Loads of good information here, it’s nice to have a thread like this. I am Nicholi, I want to do the 3d & visual effects major. I’m sure I’ll be back soon with loads of questions but for now just wanted to say hi.
And btw I saw Full Sail mentioned a few pages back. DO NOT do it. This is of course my personal opinion but after some extensive research they are pretty much after your money. For lack of a better word they are scam artists. Not saying that with a lot of hard work you can’t do good, but I’d say chances of you going somewhere with a Full Sail education are slim. Anyways that’s all I’ll say on that, don’t mean to go off topic.
Question about the foundation course. I am pretty new to the whole CG world, and although I have done a few simple animations (bouncing ball, solar system, walking guy, catapult), I feel I wouldn’t be ready to do the 3d & VE major just yet. I don’t want to waste 30 grand. Anyone have any examples on what they teach in the foundational course as far as 3d stuff goes. My traditional art skills are decent, so i don’t know if I’d be wasting my time. (I got accepted to Ringling for illustration if that means any thing, didn’t go of course)
Anyways thanks for the information, can’t wait to start doing some thing I care about finally.
well, I never opened a 3d package before starting my 3d animation and vfx studies and I did pretty well in the school [if I say so myself ;)]. There were several other persons like me and they all had decent reels [a couple had really good ones even]. I don’t think the foundation course is necessairy at all. It seems to be a filler… just my opinion
thank you
Friend of mine just got some Gnomon dvds he is going to lend me so maybe ill just skip to that. I dunno.
Just a note regarding the US work permit opportunities, specifically for the NAFTA Pro Visa which is for Canadian and Mexicans who want to work in the US, you do need a relevant degree. A VFX Artist friend of mine with 10 years experience and a job offer in the US did not get his Visa because his 4 year degree was in Philosophy.
If this applies to you, make sure you check out all of the details! And best of luck.
I don’t know where you heard this from, but that is not true. In order to get either H1-B or TN visas (the 2 most common US work visas), you must be a professional with a relevant job offer in your field and also a degree in your related field (or 12 yrs of experience to replace your missing degree for the H1-B).
However there is sort of a loophole in that ‘animation’ or ‘vfx’ doesn’t exist anywhere in the acceptable TN List of professions. So in the case of the CG industry, the lawyers will squeeze you in either the ‘Graphic Design’ or the ‘Computer Systems Analyst’, depending on the degree you possess. Computer graphics fields are so broad that anything somewhat related can be acceptable, and the lawyers will try their best to make it work. However for the above example, a degree in philosophy is just too farfetched.
Here is the full TN List of Professions and requirements:
http://www.grasmick.com/tnlist.htm
I didn’t take the foundation course, but some of my classmates who did said they barely touched 3D… which is not necessarily a bad thing to have a traditional foundation. The course is really short though, 6 months to cover some animation in 2D and other traditional mediums and I believe some acting(?) as well…
Whether foundation will benefit you, I cannot say… but there are many ways to build up your traditional skills and the Foundation course is not your only answer. Say for example you got accepted into the 3D program for months down the road, you can take some part-time art classes at a local college or something for a much lower price…
Thanks for including the link, Sherrie. As I mentioned, a “relevant” degree is what they are looking for, not “any” degree as originally posted in this thread. You can also possess a 2-year Diploma plus 3 years related experience, as seen here on the NAFTA website.
In Canada, the category “Graphic Designers” (NOC code 5241) does include Animators and related occupations, but in the US it has its own category, which, as you mentioned, is not quite the same as the Graphic Designer category. However, luckily, the Graphic Design category does include a mention of Motion Picture and Video Industries so it usually works.
http://www.bls.gov/oes/2008/may/oes271024.htm
I agree on this point A couple of months ago, I signed up for VFS’ 3D program starting this March. So, during that time, I practiced on my own and also took some part-time classes on life drawing. However, I do have a slight art background prior to doing this so it was easier for me to catch up a bit in this couple of months. Nicholi, seeing as you were previously accepted into Ringling, you obviously had some solid art background so I think you will be way ahead of the Foundation curriculum. Depending on what you want to do, I suggest that you spend the time between now and when you start VFS and just practice Maya and Photoshop (and Nuke if you want to go with VFX). Watch the Gnomon tutorials you got and I think you’ll be fine.
Just want to also take this opportunity to say hi and see if anybody else here is coming to the 3D program in March ?