Art Design Animation degrees and careers - where do I start?

[blueshoes]

Dh and I have professional degrees and jobs following an academic path through school and university. Dd 17 seems to follow a different path in that she is into animation, art and design and also decent in physics and math.

I am out of my depth wondering what she should do at university and then her chosen career.

My concern is that a purely graphics design or art foundation degree would not lead to a well paying job and is highly competitive to boot. I have the greatest of respect for people who make a career out of it. Dd is hardworking but not particularly confident or one to put herself out there. We want her to enjoy her work and feel a sense of achievement (related to lack of confidence and getting easily stressed at new things) but also to be able to make a decent living without having to hustle for or at work.

Dd loves animation most and can learn to use software easily. She admitted that she is more of a 'do-er'. Perhaps an apprenticeship degree but what, where?

Wearing my practical hat, if she could have an applied aspect to her degree/job, using her physics, such as in industrial design or product design, perhaps that could lead to more job prospects whilst keeping the design element in there. However, I think a university course that is pure physics or engineering would not be suitable because that is too 'hard', as in hard science/STEM, for her.

Please talk to me as my life experience is narrow of people who do other fields. Any specific examples of universities, degrees, courses, jobs would be gratefully received. Dd will be attending a virtual university fair soon and this can help to focus her questions.

Posting in AIBU for traffic. Thank you for reading.

Widdlin it is great your freelance work supports so many. That is an achievement. How did you get into this area.

This might change but the freelance aspect may not suit dd's personality as she is not someone who 'scrabbles' (love the word). She might be more comfortable as an employee even if the remuneration is lower.

My experience is in advertising which is cut-throat and you are only as good as your last piece of work. You also have to fit the zeitgeist and if you don't you're out. Diversity within design studios doesn't include the over 50s I'm afraid. Non creative roles are held by older people in the industry so a career path is a must and you'll be looking for this progression to happen no later than mid-thirties to remain in the in sector long-term.

Thinking laterally - architecture? Not animation but design and physics

I was going to say architecture too. Sounds like she has all the right skills.

SleepOhHow Advertising does sound cut throat.

bluegrey and Bears, architecture is a good fit for physics and art. Unfortunately, dd is not keen on a construction-related sector, which is a shame because it throws up opportunities in architecture, industrial design and presumably other areas.

DH would hesitate to recommend a career in animation, particularly for Simmons who is looking for stable employment. Most of the animators he has worked with live a semi nomadic existence moving from place to place with every production. He is also critical of the q quality of the education in the UK having employed interns from France on a couple of occasions, they were streets ahead in skills and work ethic.
Data visualisation is at the intersection of Computer science and graphics.
Service design is designing how service users interact with a product or process, it could be an app or how to move people through a public space, its a combo of design and human behaviour.

Wbeezer that is sobering to know. At this point, it is difficult to imagine my home-loving dd becoming semi-nomadic. Thanks for the explanation about Data Visualistion and Service Design. More food for thought.

Anyone heard of this university course called "Creative Computing": www.arts.ac.uk/subjects/creative-computing/undergraduate/bsc-hons-creative-computing

"The BSc Creative Computing is an exciting mix of computing and creative practice set in the context of a world-renowned creative university. You will lean to code, build apps, craft digital experiences, explore machine intelligence and more. You will acquire a contemporary set of applied computing skills covering the dominant coding languages and workflows that support innovation in the digital technology sector and creative practice. Building on these skills, and through creative practice, you will also develop your ability to innovate. This will enable you to understand and explore the cultural agency of computational technology. Engagement with creative practice also builds your ability to self-reflect and think critically about your role in shaping the world. This integration of computational and creative practice will ensure you have the opportunity to build a successful career in creative practice, the creative industries or within the digital technology sector more broadly."

Dd would be able to learn coding (course does not require prior experience) and it combines, er, creative stuff. But this course seems like it might not be fish nor fowl. Not rigorous enough on coding and not enough art/design content.

I'd say this would have a similar working profile to animation, in terms of self-starting freelance / small agency working. A key cluster of businesses will be in London but also EU cities like Berlin. Depending on your specialism this might equip you to do realtime development for interactive installations for example (instead of focussing on the content in an animation course). Your DD should research companies in this sector. You could drop an email to the course convenor. I'd say it would be helpful if your DD were already a "tinkerer" e.g. with coding toys, sensors, arduino etc.

MumbleJunction that makes so much sense. I can see how this wide skill set would be useful in interactive installations. The course did have a feel like it was put together with a certain company profile in mind. Good tip about calling the course convener. Thanks!

Ok so construction sector can cover Architecture, Landscape architecture (more creative than it sounds) interior design is also good in the construction sector, you get to have a creative input for commercial fit outs use a lot of software, isn’t just finishes and concept. Furniture design and industrial product design (aka as in designing cars, toys not tech equivalent) is a lot more competitive and can be very limited to where you live, I don’t recommend. UX/UI design would be good if she likes programming.
As for Graphic design... well your expected to know that for all the disciplines I’ve posted about above and doesn’t pay that well.

If your DD is interested in the creative industry she will probably have to do a foundation or HND in art and design before she can get into a design course

Feckme Furniture design and industrial product design (aka as in designing cars, toys not tech equivalent) is a lot more competitive and can be very limited to where you live, I don’t recommend.

Oh, could you elaborate on why you don't recommend?

I thought these 2 courses at Loughborough looked promising as they had a third year placement year:

Product Design and Technology: www.lboro.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/courses/a-z/product-design-and-technology/
Industrial Design: www.lboro.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/courses/a-z/industrial-design/

Purely because it is very competitive to get a job in once you have finished your degree, you’re competing with people all over the world, due to there not being as many jobs, plus you end up competing with product engineers, even though they don’t have a design background they tend to still go for similar jobs. Being a product designer and product engineer are quite different.

If your DD is willing to travel the world to be a product designer, go for it. But just be aware of the job market.

Anyway I wouldn’t push your daughter as to what study, get her to look up some of the jobs me and other posters have suggested and she can research them to see what best suits. I suppose for now she can work on getting her portfolio ready, as you need to produce one for interview stages when applying for universities.

UX - UI had a buoyant hiring market pre pandemic. If you work in house it can be a stable job. The pay is ok too. Worth considering.

Feckme very good point about the job market for product designers and going to where the jobs are in a competitive market. Dd will have to research and decide what suits her absolutely. What I am hoping to get out of this thread is an additional perspective on the practical realities of a particular career choice, which teenagers can be less focused on. Your perspective on product designers is super helpful.

MumbleJunction thanks for thinking about options for stable employment careers. Dd's innate personality is not particularly self-directed or going from place-to-place with her portfolio. That might change with maturity, I hope, she needs some of that but it does not come naturally. I will look out for web design, UX and UI courses, as dd can handle coding and design elements. What are the sorts of big employers for these roles?

As an aside, and along the stable job lines, dd has not dismissed cybersecurity. Nothing to do with design, of course, and probably for another thread.

Anyone with a website, Blueshoes, hence the buoyant hiring :)

MumbleJunction that makes sense, thanks!

From what you’ve said about her strengths and interests Has she thought about architecture?

From what you’ve said about her strengths and interests Has she thought about architecture?

Architecture is long and isn’t as exciting in the real world, believe me. You gain way more money and progress faster in a software development role, and only need a bachelors degree, no masters, professional qualifications etc. Plus there’s more jobs and companies!

Architecture is long and isn’t as exciting in the real world, believe me. You gain way more money and progress faster in a software development role, and only need a bachelors degree, no masters, professional qualifications etc. Plus there’s more jobs and companies!

Architecture is long and isn’t as exciting in the real world, believe me. You gain way more money and progress faster in a software development role, and only need a bachelors degree, no masters, professional qualifications etc. Plus there’s more jobs and companies!

I would advise against Graphic Design, I have worked in design for over 10 years and jobs are like gold dust. Meanwhile I've seen my peers who chose different careers progress in their careers and overtake me. I'm not bitter, much haha.

All these people being negative about jobs and salaries.

It was the same when l was younger. Fortunately l ignored it all. Went into have a highly paid job in design with a company car/ expense account and lots of foreign travel by 26. I wasn’t particularly amazing, but l was particularly persistent.

Don’t put people off!