Animation Job Applications are a JOKE

I talk about some of the requirements for animation job applications
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[@plutonis6562]

It's the classic: "You need experience to get the job, but you need the job to get experience."

[@FreeFoxRagu]

It's ridicoulus how much they want. I wasnt accepted for a cleaning job either because no experience (at least not from another company). Been applying for job for 3 years, only two scammers called me back

[@plutonis6562]

@@FreeFoxRagu For real. I've also been struggling to get accepted to even basic jobs, either due to the requirements necessary, the competition for the position, or other factors. There was a time when it also took me a good 2 - 3 years to land anything, so I can definitely empathize. Really hope you get something soon. All the best to you!

[@FreeFoxRagu]

@@plutonis6562 Thank you, I appreciate your emphaty

[@plutonis6562]

@@FreeFoxRagu You're most welcome.

[@Candyy248]

Is just that ppl do not want to teach new ppl on their job I guess :/

[@Artofcarissa]

It’s so frustrating because 95% of the jobs out there are verbal/word of mouth so applying to the ones you see online basically makes it more likely you’ll never get a callback 😢. Making friends and having social skills seems like more of a barrier of entry to getting an industry job than actual skills at this point

[@monolinny1817]

Fr Reputation are more important than skills/quality nowadays and it sucks

[@Shimamon27]

That's exactly why a person should make themselves known and go out there - we do need connections, that's a part of life. It's annoying skill alone isn't a factor, yet, most of these jobs do require you to work with teams anyway, so... Knowing people and having enough social skills to get in is probably a hidden criteria. Afterall, it is working with people... Better be on good terms with them as well.

[@FelixTheAnimator]

@@Shimamon27 You make it sound so easy. What about those of us who live in flyover states & have never had the funds to move to a real city? What about those of us with autism & no matter how pleasant we are will always be othered subconsciously in social situations? I've never even *met* somebody in the industry, or even an adjacent one! "Connections" are just another word for fucking *luck*.

[@Shimamon27]

​@@FelixTheAnimator Well, we are here talking, and it's rather easy, ain't it? I am not from the industry, but I'm on the other side of the planet. Internet magic :D Some people got married over warcraft. That means something. Most of life is luck, but you need to make a move to make it happen, complaining about your given cards won't advance you further. Impressing people - will.

[@pobrezaanimation3998]

​@@FelixTheAnimator There are a ton of skilled autistic people in animation and game industry! Wouldnt worry about that. However, geography is definitely the biggest issue.

[@bookvee]

I think the best line Ive ever heard reguarding years of experience in a certain software was during a group interveiw. "10 years experience? Sir. I WROTE that software. Six years ago."

[@secretname2670]

See, i told you god has a sense of humor, too bad we are part of it. But no seriously, businesses work in l weird illogical ways these days. Everything must be so safe, so foolproof that they miss out on big profit just because they don't take risks where they could. Everyone wants to be both safe and succesful and you get shit like this.

[@bookvee]

@@secretname2670 Apparently, it was a startup. the new owner hired one of his classmates to handle hiring, and the kid had this training manual written in the late 90s. You know the ones. They have images of various historical figuers and quotes they probably said. Maybe. Possibly? or would have, had they been very drunk, and completely polar opposite in personality.

[@tiagodagostini]

I passed for something very like that. I was contacted because that softhouse used a library that I developed... they were interested in having me internally. But at the middle of the process they wanted me to make a "programming test" .. WTF dude.. your hole business runs on top of what I write! I not only walked off the door but I stopped updating the library for public usage.

[@bookvee]

@@tiagodagostini I spoke to someone in a bar recently and told them that story, and they mentioned they were fired from a company for "gross incompetence in reference to the ice cream mixer system." by new management. They took the patents and all related rights to the ice cream mixer in question when they left.

[@FelixTheAnimator]

Job applications are a joke. You'd think that they'd get in trouble for false advertising for all the fake job posts there are.

[@CaelWhiz]

It's so there's always a pool of potential replacements. Human resources doesn't have the human's best interest in mind, but rather that of their employers.

[@Bahr-im7pn]

@@CaelWhiz Why do you think it's called "human" resources? We're just another resource for the company.

[@frost8077]

Animation isn't the only field where job applications are a joke.

[@jjstarrprod]

No, but it's certainly one where the jokes are so blatant !

[@Eric-yd9dm]

In software development, I once saw a 5 years experience with a technology that only existed for 2 years at the time

[@ShotgunSandwichENT]

@@Eric-yd9dm lol damn

[@GreenBlueWalkthrough]

@@jjstarrprod To be fair retail has the same "Requirements"... 5 years expernice in the field and an degree.

[@kattimate]

​@@GreenBlueWalkthrough maybe it depends where you live? Although it was 12 years ago, I was 16 yr old dropout, little experience and got both a retail and checkout job, when service existed in supermarkets anyway.

[@rachelmckelvey5938]

I’ve been so worried i’ll go nowhere because i’m just starting out, barely have a portfolio or any social media following, yet i really want to get my foot in the door. Sometimes it feels like i’ll never get there or that everyone else is so much better than me. Thank you for this, this is exactly what I needed to hear

[@adriankawecki2154]

Job applications are a joke, don't think you're bad at what you do just because you didn't get a position in some scammy ass companies application site or whatever.

[@GreenBlueWalkthrough]

You have a KZbin account why not start by making animations using free software. And upload them to your KZbin while showing off the learning process in other videos?

[@dispurson6421]

Same here, fresh graduate and I'm still looking for a step in the industry. Don't have much in portfolio but hearing that you can choose to focus on your personal projects as your base really helps. Thank you for this!

[@Tea-gh8cu]

I've still saw people with a lots of followers still looking for work

[@Damian_h]

I feel the same way is like an endless loop of insecurity i upload in artstation some 3D models and i got contacted i was like O_O" sorry im bussy right now but inside my heart i was like "im not rdy, im not rdy, im not rdy".

[@FelixTheAnimator]

I daydream about starting a studio that uses only opensource software.

[@george3660]

industry standard opensource!

[@Deliveredmean42]

And lately that has grown to be a posibility. Consider that Blendner has been use by more studios over the years, like Barnstorm VFX, etc.

[@FelixTheAnimator]

@@Deliveredmean42 Blender is awesome, but so is OpenToonz & I work in 2d more than 3d. Rough Draft Studios (Futurama, Spongebob, Steven Universe, lots of outsourced animation, etc.) in S Korea uses it.

[@CobaltFoxPlays]

When I finished animation college, it was about 6 months away from the Great Recession. Companies were not willing to train due to either downsizing, relocating, or decalring bankruptcy. And this was a college that completely believed that 2D animation would becomes more 3d animation (but then my college shut down). After survivor jobs, I landed a graphic design role for 5 years in news media went to back to college for a different career, finished., landed a job in my field 6 months after and on my 3rd month... pandemic. My role was a computer tutorial at a government building, but because of covid's distance thing, I was eventually laid-off but was still under contract so I got paid until the end of Summer. My co-workers helped me with a job agency that paid for a college online program, finished, got a job as Video Editor/Graphic Designer/Motion Graphics Animator and I've been there since.

[@pobrezaanimation3998]

Your current role is more practical in the real world as I onlt see motion graphics openings. Use it to fund yourself and make connections!

[@ammygamer]

People writing the requirements nowadays seem to have no idea what they are actually asking for, or are seemingly are using some bot to write things... Because wow, I've seen dystopic levels of nonsense. I remember seeing a tweet for a job that required 5+ years of experience in a specific coding language... Then the creator of said language replied below that "unfortunately he couldn't apply because he only created the language two years ago". Lol. Becoming self employed was the best decision of my whole career as a game designer. Now I can actually make things that reflect exactly what I'm most skilled at, decide when and what for myself, pick which tools I'll use/learn and most of my profits go directly into my pocket. Takes a lot of time to manage everything, I constantly go to sleep feeling very tired ... But the satisfaction of not being just a cog for some idiotic upper management (with zero morals and no actual emotional investment in the market) to profit from my creativity is something else.

[@AlexMint]

The "jack of all trades, master of all" ones are super frustrating because like it's expensive, unnecessary, and results in people who are overstressed trying to overperform in their areas where they know a bit but not everything.

[@AlexMint]

@@Ahsangill19 Literally a lot of companies will straight up go without any help for ages because their requirements are so unnecessarily complicated and class barrierish, but if you spell it out for them, they treat you like garbage.

[@CosmicPsychonauts]

Can you give some advice on how to become an entrepreneur within the animation industry please?

[@kirshak7007]

I remember a newspaper making fun of those companies by having a big title "Best candidates are young and dynamic preferably 18 years old applicants with 10 years experience"

[@CarbonatedGrapeSauce]

I had a hard time landing a job for about 2 years after graduating. Took the time to keep working on personal projects until I finally landed a gig. Even once I started working in the industry, I used what I learned from the job to build on my personal portfolio in my spare time. The importance of continual improvement outside of the job cant be understated. A lot of the time the work you do for studios wont be available to display due to NDAs, as well as the fact that sometimes the show you may work on doesn't produce competitive portfolio pieces.

[@pobrezaanimation3998]

Happens a lot. I've worked on a couple productions and my personal work helps my portfolio much more than what I worked on.

[@deetvleet]

so what you're saying is you've got to work for free for 2 years, and then once you get a job, continue putting in extra hours of work, unpaid, once you get home? Sounds like a really shitty career option to me

[@ahuman32478]

@@deetvleetYes, but if you love art, the "unpaid work" is just spending time on your hobby

[@StarlightLancer01]

Jobs that say stupid things like 5+ experience in *blank* when the only way to get those 5 years of experience is to already have the same qualifications they stated prior is just ridiculous. For example, I recently applied for an HR specialist role as I have sufficient study and experience in professions similar to said role, but because I don't specifically have 3 years of HR experience (yet can do all the functions required of the position), I didn't get it. So what's the point? I can only imagine how much more frustrating it must be for artists who are constantly denied these opportunities.

[@vanlink1]

Having the opportunity to work in animation before, I only regretted not having enough time to myself and not taking proper care of my body because of it. Granted, my job involved making animations for this platform for a popular self-help channel, but the catch was that you basically did the job of the storyboarder, the animator, the colorist, the editor, etc. All in just 2 weeks. I had to leave the job when I started getting sick because of my long shifts, basically I was working non-stop from sun up to sun down just to have the project ready on time. After that experience I realized that nothing better would come trying to work for a big studio if the work was already a lot working for a smaller one. I also learned about the general state of the industry and how animators are usually overworked and burned out. And I realized my health is waaay more important than any job. It also didn't help learning about my ADHD and how that makes completing long term projects harder (which animation basically is). Couple that with how difficult it is to get accepted into the industry for the first time, then to be met with the strict working conditions and short deadlines and sometimes poor wages depending on the studio and country you are in. And on top of that having to sacrifice my health both physically and mentally just to finish a project is what made me leave art/animation as a hobby and just try to look for something else in order to survive. To those still chasing this dream, I wish you the best. Just don't let yourselves be exploited or robbed of your opportunity to live life just because your job depends on you working 24/7.

[@NeroMai]

This is quite literally the story of my life right now. I'm looking into another career path that I think I'll be a good fit for, but now I keep seeing dozens of posts saying "Ai" will consume that too.🗿

[@BiBiren]

Maybe not on Animation in my case, but as Graphic Designer too. I applied to more than 15, 7 called me back, rejected 5 times, only got 1 interview (probably on waitlist, it's been a week) and the other one probably ghosted me for a month now. Tried to upgrade my portfolio everytime i got rejected. I got laid off from my first/previous job because my boss told me i am "overqualifed". Been unemployed 3 months now, kinda sucks too-- even getting commissions (i paint digitally) since I don't engage in social media that much.

[@blufudgecrispyrice8528]

Sheesh, overqualified??

[@It_a_Kis]

Currently in the same boat as you and learning that you have to go through contacts as the safest bet is probably the scariest still😅😅😅

[@pauljs75]

The fact you got a few call-backs puts you way ahead of most people in that situation. Shame it didn't help any, but just pointing it out.

[@secretname2670]

Overqualified just means they don't like you personally.

[@aeoligarlic4024]

Hey, if anything goes well digital commissions might suit you in the long run!

[@AlexMint]

Honestly even with art school, I've been struggling in part because of the sheer financial barrier even for students, such as having to negotiate directly with vendors or use free alternatives(though I've gotten fussed at for most of my 3d experience being Blender) because my school hadn't negotiated with every major software studio. I've often been one of my only classmates working on a shoestring budget. Just getting my first job is proving troublesome even though I did do an internship. I'm hoping to get some adjacent work and to take time to continue to develop my craft, but I'm worried that the longer I take, the less likely I am to be able to do what I want.

[@zoruasnivy]

I remember seeing somewhere that most people in the game design industry come from high income backgrounds and I have no doubt animation, film, tv etc. Are the same. There's so many financial barriers to get into the industry and it feels like spitting in my face when someone says programs like Blender don't count as experience because they're not industry standard

[@AlexMint]

@@zoruasnivy and then they have the gall to go "why didn't you learn cinema4d" like as if the version that comes with After Effects lets you do just about anything. I make cooler stuff in Blender than a lot of people are making in Maya, and transitioning to another software really isn't that hard.

[@afrinaut3094]

As a AfricanAmerican I’ve never seen these poc-oriented diversity hires applications. I’m not against it. But, not all poc are historically treated with the same level of WS in the US, it’s a hierarchy. With that said, these poc applications don’t seem to be working in terms of opening up the industry to historically marginalized American peoples to the Animation industry. The animation industry tends to be dominated by White & Asian studies (mainly Japan. But China & South Korea are making waves). I haven’t had any luck in getting internships, apprenticeships or any type of work in the industry. Besides all the good points you made about why getting into the industry is harder now, I won’t say how I know, but personally the growing anti-AfricanAmerican sentiment in recent years (like the right, alt-right & “woke” cry wolf scapegoating etc) has played a hand in my difficulties in “being given a chance” (not that anti-black intersectionality ever disappeared in the first place). Even with cg animated effects heavy films like black panther, (not that people should be this bigoted), I had a business executive tell comment on one of my old post, that Africans had no large civilizations-so game world based on Black people cant work🤦🏾‍♂️. This is a taste of the difficulty AfricanAmericans, AfroLatino & other African descent people have to face trying to have a leading presence in the Animation industry, US or otherwise. Tiana, in princess & the frog, was a frog throughout most the movie’s runtime, amongst other issues.

[@ArchOfficial]

Honestly it's probably your skill level, though. It's hard for whites and asians too. It's also basically impossible for people of African descent to have a leading presence in the animation industry because their work ethic is not at the same level of particularly the asians. There are people everywhere in difficult conditions who put in a large amount of effort out of necessity, but black people tend to be the laziest when things are going well, which is not their fault but is a genetic thing due to historically living in a land where you don't need to make plans or up-front effort to survive. Call me a racist or whatever you will, but once black people who are living comfortably also put in the same amount of effort that everyone else does, sacrificing most all of their free time and other career opportunities just to succeed in something specific, then we can talk about a leading presence.

[@huhhuh9598]

I feel like your first reply to this comment being eugenic nonsense proves your point, Afrinaut

[@ArchOfficial]

@@huhhuh9598 "Eugenic nonsense" That's a bit more sophisticated than "lol racist". Thanks. Either way good to know in 2023 we have completely stopped believing in genetics. EDIT: Just as a thought experiment, have you ever wondered why asians do the best in all industries despite having penalties when applying to universities or companies? Guess society is just biased towa- wait, they get minus points though, so how does that work?

[@kittennnugget6532]

​@@ArchOfficial what? There are literally tons of people from the Bi-POC community that are working their butt off to go into their desired fields. If anything, they have to work HARDER than their white counterparts because of the systemic racism the US has imposed on them for years/limiting their opportunities. There are literally so many talented African American / POC artists out there. You just haven't searched hard enough.

[@ArchOfficial]

@@kittennnugget6532 It's not systemic racism, it's just the industry being difficult. Hate to break it to you but 99%+ of people's work is not adequate to work professionally. There is less than half the amount of asians in the US yet they produce orders of magnitude more skilled artists; and this goes for most other professions. Black people get bonuses in employment and education, asians get penalties. Think about it. Apart from growing up in an economically disadvantaged area in poverty (EDIT: Which is the real fundamental problem apart from just genetic factors that only really matter when aiming for a very high level, and it could be argued why those conditions are so common in black communities and if honest effort is being done to improve things), there is no downside inherent to black people systemically. Black people get the highest bonuses in employment and education. If anything the odds are heavily stacked against asians who have outright penalties just for their race; but they have better culture and environments which allow them to succeed in this context. I will also admit that asians are viewed more favourably by people in general than black people are, so employers might be more subconsciously or consciously willing to give them a shot over black people; but this isn't a systemic thing. I'm not from America, hence why I understand how things work better than a biased worm's-eye-view of personal experience mixed with foreign intelligence service meddling and intense stress associated with living in the US.

[@rhog45]

Thia is really informative. I've been working as a cartooning teacher since I graduated. I figured what better way to learn about my audience than to work with them? I've been trying to get into studios or atleast wedge my foot into the door as much as i can. I realized that my goal is to become a character designer, and I've applied to everywhere i can think of in NYC. What i realized is that there are aome unreal requirements such as 5+ years in a studio or some software I've never used. Toonboom costs at least $71 monthly. Who could afford that? I'm not saying I'm gonna give up, never rwally, it's just demoralizing that the only thing stopping me from actually achieving the one thing i worked for is a fat bank account or living somewhere totally unreachable atm.

[@unidentifiable_]

u should hack toon boom im studying animation in college and they told us that's the best thing you can do. Unless a studio gives you access to harmony you shouldn't pay for it

[@ChrisNeuhahnArt]

Frequently in job ads the required experience, software knowledge or schooling is a way to reduce the flood of applicants. It makes people self selecting. If you have a good portfolio/reel you should apply regardless of the requirements. I always prioritize reel then experience, and i only look at schooling if work experience is low.

[@ayior]

Just a couple of weeks ago this video would have filled me with dread. But I just finally landed a great job, so right now I feel like im the other side. (Salaried artist job, not a gig, hoping to stay a couple of years at least) Edit: I think personal contacts are everything. Got this one through a local game dev meetup.

[@lightyear3429]

Could you elaborate? How does one leverages a meetup into a job?

[@xxchocoecaramell]

Ah ! this was literally a god send , I've been trying to find something or just to know what to start to look for and this is really what's been such a stone on it 😂

[@Jake28]

you really enjoyed the entirety of this 10 minute video 3 minutes after it was uploaded

[@xxchocoecaramell]

​@@Jake28 More so commenting on the title while now watching the rest eh

[@pobrezaanimation3998]

Personal experience: over last 10 years I've seen fewer and fewer public job listings for animation. Seems like they are all using contractors or outsourcing overseas. Even if you do land a position for remote work chances are they ARE overdeas they'll pay you $5/hr. It really seems you have to hang out in Burbank and network to even make a living wage BUT it's impossibly expensive to live in LA. Unfortunately, animation field does not favor the poor. HOWEVER, your only way out is to create independent work that really stands out. Not easy, but better than impossible.

[@Goshikko]

I wanted to give you a big thanks for making this video and speaking up about these issues. I feel like I've been going crazy and alone for so long about the current state of the animation industry. I highly agree that the requirements in animation jobs are a big joke as someone who is in senior year, ready to graduate out of college and currently job searching for concept art, character design, 2D animation, illustration, motion graphics, and a few graphic design jobs. I've been job searching for jobs and internships before senior year and it's very frustrating and stressful how much companies expect out of artists and animators with little to no experience at all. Even in internships and entry-level jobs, I still keep getting rejected. It never makes any sense to me. I feel I already have a good understanding how animation principles, pipelines, and productions work. My portfolio already shows that I do have drawing and animation skills, and I have been improving and working hard so much throughout my life since high school. I have been in art school for 8 years, both high school to college, and I'm still unlucky til this day. I've been in the mix of giving up job searching but also trying my best to set foot into an animation or illustration job for once. It also doesn't help that me and my family are financially struggling nearly getting evicted/homeless during the pandemic. Til this day things are still bad for us. I can't afford to buy anymore softwares to learn in or move out of my current home to places like LA, NYC, etc. The best I can rely on to continue making art and animations are in Clip Studio Paint, Procreate, and Vegas Pro. I'm gonna eventually learn rigging in Live2D and ToonBoom Harmony after graduating out of college. I feel like I'm already at a point where I have to find different ways to grow and develop my journey as an artist/animator and follow my mom's footsteps in making merch and my own business. I thought I knew what my future will be but nowadays I'm very confused and discouraged what my future as an artist/animator is even going to be anymore. Keeping promises of what projects I want to create has also been overwhelming, even if I know I worked hard with what I planned many years ago. I do plan to go indie anyways, even if I'm well aware it's not gonna be an easy path. I most likely have no choice but to find a day job to work in while I go indie, develop my store, online animation studio, and streaming part-time/full-time. There's so much plans in my path that I'm still trying to work out on my life

[@doublecoloured385]

Probably one of the least talked yet so important for any artist, esp those starting out or fresh graduates in the industry. The part about software is also a good point. While I get that studios need newcomers to be able to know a specific software to have a smooth(er) production pipeline, it's a bit dismissive for those trying to break in the long-run imo. Most of these software aren't cheap even for a hobbyist to begin with (hence why pirated software is so rampant), and yet they expect most newcomers to be able to be experts in those specific or many (new) software in their requirements.

[@FernandaHaiabe]

I honestly gave up on finding opportunities in this industry.

[@dziankolack9331]

Care to explain why? I see you’re a Calarts grad.

[@Crashgen]

Same

[@no_player_commentary]

Same screw the industry if I want to animate I will do it on my own. And from my brief experience being in the industry but not getting to actually do anything of use (Runner for animation film studio). I was in the room for quite a few meetings all they wanted to do was look for big names to join the project so they could look good for marketing & investors e.t.c. Outsourcing everything & not a single thought for people looking for a first step or lesser know creatives.

[@SHADZA4321]

No shame in doing that. I did as well. Once I realized these are just business looking for something or someone cheap to use. There are other ways to make money with your talent.

[@FernandaHaiabe]

@@dziankolack9331 Like, being a Calarts grad doesn't guarantee a job in the industry, unfortunately. As a foreign student, my biggest difficulty is the visa situation in order to work legally. And they won't say but the industry will obviously prefer someone "easier" to hire that won't require so much paperwork - unless you're a very good and famous artist (I'm just a beginner lol). Besides that what I've been noticing is that we as artists are being required to over and over cater to the recruiters' interests and grabbing their attention with resumes and cover letters rather than just delivering a good portfolio and that sucks. I 100% agree with Toniko (he was a guest once in one of my classes at Calarts) and every artist should work on personal work. I have a job unrelated to the arts, but I keep working on personal stuff. I'll always be an artist, regardless of my job title!

[@markusturunen7929]

I think what's happening is that they have already an internal hiring process for the person they want to have on their team, but legal obligations put them to post the job publicly and available, to avoid any other than the person they want to hire, they post ridiculous requirements for job entry so that only that person they wanted to hire in the first place can meet those requirements. Simply put, it's the job was never available for you it's only a formality, and interviews are just for getting more data on potential future acquisitions.

[@GreenBlueWalkthrough]

As someone who wants to open a media studio one day I agree with everything you said! Which also I want people to remember if a big studio does nneed you you don't need them and you can always work solo or find yourself a small team willing to learn together.

[@watsak6840]

Thank you for the information and the mentioning about personal project, that means a world to me!

[@Firstborn0Raz]

Thank you so much for the advice and the details of the industry from your own experience.

[@Shimamon27]

Currently I focus on personal projects and working with independent creators willing to pay me. I'd attempt to enter the industry only after I gained enough personal experience as a freelancer... It's a big competitive ring, there's really no point shoving myself in without proving myself on my own first and getting to know and work with various people.

[@loverrlee]

1:19 That Studio Ghibli job listing is wild. Like what a lucky break those people got. You mean they weren’t expected to be perfect on day one??? 😭😭😭

[@L30N_M]

What's so frustrating as a not so, but sort of newcomer the graphic Design industry is fundamentally that no comapnay wants to seem to risk employing anyone they have to train. I've a few guys who've been creative directors or senior designers and theyve always explained that what they always saw was that their was always a level of burocracy that prevented new guys to show what they had, or to get new folk who could learn through apprenticeships, all because companies see younger folk as liabilities for day to day work. Even having graduated from a technical design school, a popular a that in Canada, worked a couple years with several paid freelance work, and having had some in house design experience, companies seem to have this bizzare system of requirements behind every minute project shown in the portfolios, and the outrages expectation of years of experience required for what could be SIMPLE Jr designer positions, and even for as rare as they are, internship positions as well.

[@kcmoon2214]

Yes! Thank you! 😫 Seriously they're just as bad as creating a cover letter or doing an art test. 😑

[@AlexDelaVega25]

My goal is to become an online influencer on yt as an animator, creating my animated series. Although animation is not common in my country, I am just self learning and took architecture course for a while due to similarities to accuracy and measurements. For my choice, I would want to my own animation studio growing on youtube rather than joining other companies.

[@paolaanimator]

I've been doing internships and gigs during University and post-University and I still can't get a part or full time job. Plus I just saw programming language requirements in 3D jobs and I feel like I have to study coding now... It has been rough trying to step foot into this animation industry. At this point I'm considering switching to coding to see if I can land a coding job... I want to add, I've been coming up with ideas for my personal project so maybe it will help me out. Plus get the foundation down and solid story and character designs in the animation work.

[@noraheist]

THIS I had one of the best results in Uni, had a well paying Internship for 6 years and I still can't get a job anywhere. The company I had the internship with said my best chance is to keep applying to other Internships, but I'm scared they will just end up exploiting me for minimal wage

[@HalfBlindProductions]

I finally found out a reason they do this. It's partially because we're in an age where so many people are applying for jobs and flooding companies that they make it so no one could qualify so this way they can reject anyone they want and legally point to an arbitrary reason they don't qualify. This means you should apply anyway because they might take you since the requirements might be straight up a lie ony the first place. As someone who's looking for a CS software job right now I feel the pain of this video. It is not a great job market right now

[@heyhi8290]

Im really doubting if i should go to animation school because of this.I would just end up with a student debt and no job.

[@hireathecho4]

Honestly, don't do it. Just practice on your own and you'll likely get as good as you could with an animation school, and be debt free :)

[@DevinParker]

That's my situation. As much as I enjoyed art school and did have some valuable experiences because of it, between a highly competitive field and difficulties due to ADHD the only thing I have to show for it now is unemployment and my student loan debt. Art school is ridiculously expensive and art jobs do not pay nearly enough. As I said, there are experiences that make art school valuable, but my personal opinion is that you would be better off finding resources online and maybe taking courses at a community college or local art co-op.

[@kylee.jenner3610]

Always have a backup plan and focus on the 2nd option rather than the first ones. You have a dream, a vision but you have to accept that art and animation industry will soon die out in maybe another 5 years or less due to the rise of Ai

[@LisaNaniOfficial]

Loving these informative videos ❤

[@BusinessWolf1]

Let the sharks bite each other. Work for yourself. Also, as Gabe Newell has said, "piracy is not a pricing problem, it is a service problem".

[@airwatts]

This was great!! THANK YOU!! Love your Channel!!!!!!

[@lbanimations3980]

Love your videos bro!!

[@brycetheoddball]

I have an animation mentorship thanks to some of your videos! I love your work!

[@ItalianDino202]

To be honest when I’m searching for animators, all I need for them to know is how to do mouth movements because I can’t

[@foxxy706]

Interesting video! I'm working as a freelancer now, but back when I was in full time employment, I was one of the people who got hired based on their "years of experience." Myself and some of my colleagues where overqualified for a lot of the work we had to do. A lot of smaller companies just look at who big companies are hiring, and want the same level of expertisé without paying the same money or having the same level of projects. What I find most jarring is the "hiring based on skin-color, gender etc." In many european countries that would fall under discrimination laws and is illegal as a company to do.

[@missoli]

I saw an ad posting for a coloring cook page illustrator and the provided examples that look like the generic "learn to draw" book art style. in the application they said an associate's degree is preferred. like HUH LOL

[@user-10021]

that`s just what happens when the marketing graphics designer doesnt know about the job. Or they just choose a loosely related picture. Their job is just to make ads. They dont know shit about the jobs themselfes

[@mysteriouswolven]

Thank you for this Toniko.

[@sydneyjwoods]

im glad im not the only one been feeling down about not finding a job I want .it I'm glad you put this video out there

[@AmbroseReed]

I'm struggling with this right now and it's very disheartening! Still, nice to hear that the requirements can sometimes be flexible because I look at these job applications and think "holy shit I'm easily 5-10 years away from being able to claim all of this stuff"

[@jobarangan7714]

i can't afford storyboard pro due to financial hardship and haven't been able to work on boarding at all since i graduated. and i can't afford to join my friends or peers in LA, which for the most part wants people LA-local only even if the jobs are 3 days remote/2 in office... I'm so frustrated, I spent a lot of time "making connections" and it wasn't worth anything 😤

[@ericcurrier50]

I love and hate it. I'm a 3D character artist, and I just recently spoke to someone at Amazon games about advice on getting in to the industry. Walked away from the conversation being told there are NO junior positions in the industry, you need to hit the ground running and I find it super frustrating since so many techniques are locked behind industry doors and the prices for industry software's can get insane, and affording a mentor is just as expensive. you either need to be top of the top to get in to AAA or have an insane amount of knowledge to work indie whilst having up to three shipped products. The industry is so volatile to new people at the moment. (also love you vid's was watching them while going through my video game art program)

[@adrianzak]

thx for this video!

[@Dexter01992]

Since when I begun drawing 9 years ago, all teachers, all workshops, all artists that work or worked for the industry all told me the same thing: Artists of all sorts of branches are seen as the fifth wheel of the process despite being the ones making the very thing that generates revenue for the company and are treated as disposable garbage. Just look at anime artists in Japan complaining in last 20 years skillset required skyrocketed while payment went *lower* while also pushing inhuman work conditions. Only way out for me has been Patreon and private commissions. So far has been enough to be able to work for my own self.

[@erniebeasley8521]

Any advice on how to keep drawing even when you desire to not draw at all?

[@oonadoodles]

Such a nice video to put in the background as I lose my sanity over a week long animation test

[@GabrielTobing]

But yeah man, this is me in my comp science degree :( I hate how the work stuff is like that

[@aeoligarlic4024]

I miss when getting jobs is as easy as grandpa's era of walking into the restaurant asking they need a dishwasher and work their way up to managerial

[@Zappg_]

Thank you

[@Gustoberg]

I'm planning to work with animation, but there is barely a market within my country, is that a good or bad thing? I think that because there is some demand, and there are at maximum 6 small animation studios and only 2 are more known, so not much competitiveness, but there are almost no opportunities outside these studios, and from 100 years of animation, only one movie burst the international bubble.

[@shourterthan]

is there any chance for non-americans to get their foot in the door in the american animation industry if they're no longer students and don't meet the requirements for most internships? I still apply to both jobs and internships, I think I have a fair enough portfolio and that if I get a test I can do well enough on it (and even if I don't know i'm turned down for my skill) but i feel like my apps are being shot down way before that.

[@PutineluAlin]

Look at his other videos he has tried a lot to and sacrificed all his free time to pursue this career.

[@shourterthan]

@@TheBigGSN5 didn't say I wanted to work in 2D animation tho. most of the production is still done in the US and I was asking about that. still called an animation job

[@lounirs]

Welp, I got into my dream art school and everything looking good, up until we discovered this school didn't make me eligible for a scholarship. Except it's a really expensive school, we can't afford it and it has already been paid. So my only option is to apply for a university that does make me eligible and not flunk it. I was pretty much destroyed after learning that, but thankfully, I did apply to ONE language school, even though it wasn't for a language I love much. But now that i see people saying how complicated getting a job in the art industry, I'm relieved to know that I get to have a safe plan. Thanks for making feel less guilty about my situation, even though I hope things will get better

[@hirakaiju2170]

I am just about grad this semester with a ba in animation. This just mean I gotta work harder.😅

[@3ngan498]

Art is at it purest form when things is not involve around money

[@djdraws4555]

I tried to get a paid internship at Disney but I couldn't due to my summer school schedule

[@literallydoing4425]

TBH, moho is probably the only studio grade software I'll use. It costs around 18 months of adobe and is the single most powerful animation software I've seen, which would allow me to do studio level animation as just a single dude. Along with this, I can use png sequences from blender for scene stuff, this making the process even more accessible. It isn't cheap, but it's well worth it.

[@Poetax]

Where would be a good place to apply for more beginner friendly jobs?

[@SkywardWarriorCosplaygamer]

I'm going to reply here to keep track of this thread in case we hear anything back. XD I've been looking for the past 2 years and reached my 330th application today, looking at over 7 different job boards and not much luck yet...

[@huhhuh9598]

I'd be curious aswell

[@NovaaGrind]

I wish you all good luck

[@unisangalaxystudio]

3 years of failure I feel like switching jobs, your projects are God like just what studios want while me nope am just a nobody

[@zooropa414]

is this about the animation industry in USA or all over the world?

[@ghammer2048]

That thumbnail deconstructs your entire vibe lol.

[@Dave102693]

I've been aplying for jobs for a decade now and I've mostly given up at this point.

[@designermisra6155]

Hi toniko i am a motion designer, and also i have a good hand in drawing but not in animation, i would like to try it can you give me idea from where to start i mean i want few online free content or free script available in internet which i can try to create with hand drawn animation can you suggest few . will be a great help

[@ComicNerd-4]

I would Love to see you Draw Star wars Characters, that will be cool🎉

[@szilviasera]

At this point i am a character animator,motion designer, 3d modeller and graphic designer :D and still, at the job interviews: "have you any experience in photography?" :D

[@akganimationstudioproducti3779]

Here’s my philosophy: it’s not the programs you use that matter, it’s *how* you use them

[@chomsky72]

Networking and connections.

[@MrMurica]

3:10 isn't that illegal in the US?

[@LukiSurkraBlade]

3D modeling and texturing jobs also suffer from this.

[@corseviro]

Tell me about your self What is your strenght What is your weak Subject: emmersiom Job interview Me: im in pain

[@andramation]

im 14 and i already have both of those requirements set

[@picklemytipjar7634]

Can I apply with meatcanyon style animation

[@sadmanarnob5784]

is it necessary to have a degree for applying to animation jobs abroad or are there other ways to getting in? :)))

[@shakeemwinn3647]

It's just to do your own thing. Just make sure you have a good job to protect yourself.

[@notdavid6893]

I feel this with game design too.

[@TotallyToonsTV]

I graduated from university in 2019...a few months later COVID showed up, the whole world shit down and no one was hiring as a result (This is in the UK for context). I carried on practicing with my personal animation and illustration projects during lockdown and trying to apply to what jobs I could in that time. That 2 year time gap certainly made getting anywhere in the industry much harder...I managed to get a 2 jobs behind a bar though. I've come up against countless animation job listing that are looking for a junior applicant....that are asking for 3 to 4+ years experience. I've even seen that experience requirement on even ENTRY level listings. That makes zero sense to me.

[@Graphomite]

This is the inevitable evolution (or de-evolution) that money causes. It is occuring in all careers, and even trickling into relatively simple jobs that don't necessarily require a craft skill. For anyone without experience or good old fashioned nepotism in anything remotely challenging, you are not given any opportunity. You are left with dead-end braindead position. Exceptions exist, but they are most likely upstarting businesses. Which, due to the issue of money, will most likely fail to progress and die out. And never be able to pay you enough for your time. This problem will not and cannot be fixed. Not with the way monye based economy ""works.""

[@Noegusis]

what’s this about the race thing? i need to know more about that

[@kattimate]

It would be nice, though as an almost 30 yr who people would say is lagging behind due to my mental health and life events, I'm screwed. However, I figured my own smaller projects are much more important than trying to burn myself out being hired by someone who lives in the breakneck speed part of life. Unfortunately, many companies are only speeding up due to the technology "advancement" and expectations of the shitty modern world.

[@pixline3400]

Now it's getting more difficult, yet not worth applying if this is their main standard of industries

[@2-tone989]

I appreciate the Tekken 2 artwork

[@namordespuesdelnamor]

I gave up a few years back.

[@sawaydakstudios]

Is it just me or do the character's in the first couple minutes look like Law, Jun, and Michelle fighters from the video game Tekken 2?

[@22MewDragon]

Great video, big agree on all of it as someone who struggled to get into the industry. And also: Lara Croft my beloved 💕💕💕 ✨💕✨💕

[@mcdonalds420]

Knowing how draw on layers isn't gonna do anymore

[@cloudshifter]

No wonder they are a joke, they expect you to become successful (usually gain alot of fans or have a lot of traction) by yourself or as a freelancer first to then "consider" offer you an entry level position with a minimum wage. Appearantly being a freshman of a masters degree, top of the class, knowing required programs like Maya inside out and having a ton of other knowledge like, motion graphics animation, 2D animation, digital drawing, traditional drawing, video editing, texturing, modeling, lighting only gets you unpaid short internships these days. It's ironic cause future generations will have it way, waaaay harder than we do in finding a job, so much so that we will feel like the 80s where they hired people left and right in comparison to the future where they will require lead artists with 30 yrs exp as unpaid interns.

[@artvandelay6711]

Question: I've noticed that it seems like often once animators get a job then seem to move around from studio to studio a lot. Do you know why this is?

[@TonikoPantoja]

It’s a nomadic job based on whatever production is looking for artists. Some artists will stay in house in a studio, and be moved to different in house productions. It’s common artists go between studios to studios so having connections and networking is important

[@artvandelay6711]

@@TonikoPantoja Thank you for the explanation.

[@gabriellegagnon1432]

I just straight up re-oriented my career cause i couldnt get a job in animation :')

[@ZirconiaGacha]

Jesus Christ. My mom says I shouldn't search for an art career because my artstyle is too cartoony, and I need to get it more realistic before I even try...

[@FernandaHaiabe]

It never hurts to learn the foundations of art but if that's your style, go for it. I'm also very cartoony and it doesn't matter as long as you have interesting stories to tell.

[@ZirconiaGacha]

​@@FernandaHaiabe I could go for more detail, but I more have issues with the fact my mom seems to think only realism will get me anywhere.

[@icecreamhero2375]

Realism helps aton. It will help your cartoony art look better. It's a know the rules before you break them sort of things. You need to be able to draw what ever the plot demands. Example: Remember the American Dad episode One Woman Swole. Francine becomes a body builder. The character designer of Buff Francine had to know his or her anatomy.

[@icecreamhero2375]

​@@ZirconiaGacha Knowing anatomy and realism will help you adapt to other styles better.

[@tmd_95]

It's nuts to me that Pixar and other big animation studios nowadays choose the cream of the animator crop, then have them make movies that have mediocre storylines with no real originality. The new Pixar movie, Elements or whatever it's called, looks so pretty but is anyone really excited to see it?

[@aeoligarlic4024]

You'd be surprised to know that many people actually still watch whatever disney or pixar produces regardless of quality

[@its_nukatron]

Yes yes, job applications suck for animation and other positions in the industry....BUT HEY, those are definitely Tekken characters I see you drawing ! NICE!!

[@shachintheartist]

Why are people asking more then skill these days in job application. What if my communication skills are mediocre and my only good thing is observation and perception 🤔 and drawing cartoony

[@Doubtfulgrace101]

Why would you say something so controversial yet so true?