Not a proper career .....

OP, let him do what he wants, our Ds1 with b and c's has just finished A levels, predicted C for all, we may get a B or D's. Every teacher says new A levels such a massive step up. History teachers (3 of them) all say they are teaching stuff they did in their degrees.
Looking back we should have allowed him to do a BTEC.
He wants to do something in the Police/Public protection industry, so doing a criminology degree, so many people say that it's not a proper degree, Bollocks to them.
You do best in careers you love. I milked cows for 21 years, then moved to the railway, because I hated milking cows in the end, still get up at 0500, and finish at 0030, but never on same day, love every day.
Let him do what excites him. Does his dad think the people behind candy crush, work for Disney/Pixar etc are in non careers.
Finally our next door neighbour's DD is married to a lad from our very bog standard Yorkshire comp, he did similar course then studied at an ex poly, he has 2 Oscars, including his teams work on Gravity, actually 3, because they got 2 for Gravity. Tell his dad that.

Tell your OH to pipe down.

He has a son who has career aspirations and is prepared to work for the relevant qualifications - what more does he want?

If the lad were addicted to drugs/drink or lazy and abusive then let him start to grumble.

I think it wouid be a good career choice, but a bad A level substitute.

Wouid his interests/abilities match up for CompSci, DT or Art (assuming not both because of demands of portfolio/project) for A Level, plus ideally maths but realise that probably won't be a good fit for him. The. comp sci degree, with good coding and game development modules. Then a wide choice of potential role/employer/careeer.

I worked in the videogame industry until very recently. I know of a good number of young people that graduated from games design courses and went straight into jobs with gaming studios and have very promising careers. They have titles like junior level designer.

I would advise to suppliment design study with coding skills. Everyone needs developers.

It's a growing sector, but I think it's worth doing serious research about the post 16 and HE options.

Lots of places are offering foundation degrees in animation, which is fine but does it offer the innovation and technical understanding of someone doing a computing degree?

If it's something he wants to pursue then absolutely go for it but a traditional path on a good course might serve him better than a direct animation college course

www.abertay.ac.uk/course-search/undergraduate/game-design-and-production/
Very highly regarded degree in computer games design / production, very good employment prospects

Look at their entry requirements for possible entry routes e.g. HNC / HND as well as A-levels

Animation and game design. I would do research on the job market to find out qualifying entry as often they involve some kind of coding or a tech background as well.

Is he taking iGCSEs? I thought that GCSEs were 9-1 grades now rather than letters.
Having said that grade Bs are above average academically nationally and it may be possible to take A levels with these grades especially if he obtains an A grade!
Does the 6th form college allow a mix of BTEC and A levels? Could he perhaps try A level Graphic Design and then a double BTEC to keep several options open for later on?
Does the college run "taster" sessions so he can find out what the course is actually like?

The NFTS offers post grad courses in both animation and games. Highly sought after graduates who go on to great jobs.

Research the qualifications carefully. When I worked in the industry, people generally had degrees in physics and maths rather than animation specifically.

The computer games industry makes more money than the movie industry. It's a totally respectable and professional career.

You are doing the right thing by researching qualifications to make it happen. There is work for skilled animators both in the UK and overseas.

dad says what happens when he fails

Well if he were to fail doing what he loves, how does his father think he'd ever be a success doing something he's not even interested in? Your son's father sounds as if he's living in the dark ages. I did a very traditional degree that has been no help to me in life whatsoever and I wish I'd had an interest which I could have taken a vocational course in. At the risk of being rude, the bloke sounds like an idiot.

I too agree that is a very valid career choice. However, I would ask him to scrutinise things like the entry requirements for the course, so he doesn’t find himself on a course that doesn’t meet his ability level. And what points he would come out with to out towards the next educational stage. And whether different subjects would give better openings in the industry.

I have wondered if some of the colleges are offering these courses to engage some of the young people who would not previously have stayed in education post 16, but are now required to.

I have also noticed that some of the people I know with very well paying professional careers they slogged for, and were perhaps pushed into by parents, and having paid for private education for their children, are not wanting to push or direct their dc, but support them in their choice to do xyz courses which are more ‘fun’ type, but then watch them drift for several years afterwards. I’m not sure they are meeting their earning potential really, certainly they won’t have the material lifestyle their parents do, but also not finding rewarding work (only the most talented and most persistent hard workers will progress in creative fields, others will struggle to earn a living). Encourage your sone to listen to all points of view I would say.

Oh, and he should google games and animation careers before saying it's not a proper career - I think he might find it very informative!

I think he should do A levels and look at how people who do animation who are in their 20s got into it - look at some CVs eg do they do a degree at XYZ institution in order to get the best jobs at certain big companies that employ animators and work back from there.

I think your best bet is to put some evidence in front of dad! Contact the sixth form college and ask for info on leavers' destinations for the course - did they go on to do degrees or apprenticeships in the industry? Check what qualification is offered. If it's a Btec extended diploma it's fine for university entrance in that field.

(Sorry if unclear - the people I know do computer game design).

It is (of course!) a career. And I think it is lovely you are supporting him. However, with this plan as I understand it I would be slightly concerned about not having the a levels to fall back on. What is this qualification? Is it properly recognised? Would it count as equivalent to a levels? Could it lead to a degree? Would a decent uni accept this as a level equivalent for entry? What does the college do to help facilitate work placements?

I only as as I know two people who are doing very well in the industry. One has a maths degree and the other a computer science degree, and as I understand it neither would have been able to get their “break in” roles without a degree, so I think your son needs - if he hasn’t already, which of course he may have done - to do some careful research about the industry and whether that is still the case for entry level roles.

My husband is 51 is an Animator and has been consistently employed for over 35 years. He's earns approx 38k a year.

I'm also an Illustrator and have been for 24 years. I earn approx 30k - 35k a year.

I know plenty of 'creatives' - to make a proper living it's bloody hard work but it is very 'proper'.

I do know plenty of people who haven't made it, but generally they just play about and don't fully commit (or unfortunately don't quite have the talent).

It's a hard road, but possible.

It seems pretty young to specialise. Agree art or design might be a route to follow with options in animation and graphics. Are there any apprenticeships in this area? May be work experience would help him clarify what routes people working in the industry have followed and the skills required, which in turn would be taken more seriously by his father.

Tech is a proper career but it depends where you live. Employers congregate in certain places and other places have few/no jobs. As opposed to other careers eg dentist, accountant, solicitor, doctor etc can get a job anywhere.

This is one of the fastest growing areas, it's also making significant roads in terms of share in the economy.

As long as the university is running an excellent degree (research required) I'd say he would have a very successful career ahead.

That sounds like a fantastic career to aim for. 'not a proper career' - what an idiot. Has he never heard of Hayao Miyazaki or Nick Park (both amazing Oscar winning animators of very different styles)?

It's not for parents to decide their children's careers. Unfortunately some think it is.

Many of today's children will be doing jobs which haven't yet been invented.