What does it mean to “make it” as an animator? Maybe you’re asking this question if your child has a huge interest in cartoons and is showing promise in their drawings. Over my last 30 years as an animator, I’ve realized that what was true for me when I wanted to “make it” as an animator in the 90s isn’t true anymore. Back then, there was one college I could go to (California Institute of the Arts) and one city with almost all of the jobs (Los Angeles). Now, it might be harder than ever to become a Pixar animator (a dream I find a lot of my students have), but with so many new career paths, it’s actually much easier than you’d think to work in animation! Here are five jobs for your cartoon-loving kid you might not have known about.
1. Video Games
Industry Size: $120 billion
Business Insider predicts the industry might be as big as $196 billion by 2022 while Forbes predicts $300 billion by 2025.
Average Salary: The average entry-level video game animator will make around $50,000 per year but can start to make around $100,000 per year after six years of experience.
Level of Education Required: I recommend that my students get good animation training. Sometimes that means getting a bachelor’s degree. Sometimes an online trade school. But training is key. It’s not unheard of for an animator to be hired based on skill alone. In fact, it happens all the time. If you’re a good animator, you’ll get a job. If you aren’t, a bachelor’s degree won’t necessarily help you get a job. So, get a bachelor’s degree if you have the opportunity, but make sure you’re really good at animating too.
Where You’ll Need to Live: Contrary to popular belief, not all the animation jobs are in California. You’ll probably need to work at a video game studio, but you’d be surprised how common it is to have a studio close to you, no matter where you live. Among the top 50 video game studios, there are some in California, but many are in Washington state, Maryland, North Carolina, Texas, and Nevada. Chances are, you’ll be able to find a job close to where you live.
2. Phone Games/Phone Apps
Industry Size: $68 billion
Average Salary: The average salary for these animators is very similar to those of video game animators, so entry-level jobs can make around $50,000 per year and can make around $100,000 per year after a few years of experience.
Level of Education Required: Again, this is similar to video game animators, and a bachelor’s degree can help, but it is possible to be hired based on experience and skill alone. I would also recommend training (or even a degree) in computer engineering or coding as having those skills will make you much more well-rounded and valuable to phone app development.
Where You’ll Need to Live: You’ll likely need to live near a studio (which can be anywhere in the world), but there’s also a good chance you’ll be able to land remote employment!
3. Freelancing
Industry Size: $1 trillion
Obviously, this massive industry doesn’t just include animation-type jobs, but some of the most common freelance jobs are 3D Modeler, Graphic Designer, and Game Developer. More and more professionals are moving to freelancing for all of their income, and in fact, I was a freelance animator successfully for seven years!
Average Salary: Just starting out, you can expect to make around $40,000-$50,000 per year, depending on your hourly rate and how many hours you work. As you grow your portfolio and your list of clients and get better and better, however, you can start to charge a higher rate and make substantially more!
Level of Education Required: Potential clients tend to want to look at your portfolio, years of experience, and sometimes certifications, but don’t often care if you have a degree, as long as your work speaks for itself. I would still recommend and prioritize good, quality art and animation training, but if you know that you want to be a freelance animator, consider taking classes or even get a degree that will help you with your business, like marketing, communications, or general business management.
Where You’ll Need to Live: Literally anywhere you want.
4. Scientific & Medical Animation
What it is: Scientific and medical animation is a little known sector of the animation industry, and one that I didn’t discover until late in my career. Pharmaceutical companies, hospitals, scientists & researchers, universities & curriculum developers, and even the judicial system hire animators to help clients, patients, or different involved individuals visualize operations, treatments, and other medical procedures.
Industry Size: This industry was $116 million in 2016, and is expected to reach $301 million by 2021.
Average Salary: As an entry-level animator, you can expect to make around $62,000 per year while director/supervisory positions can make up to $175,000 per year.
Level of Education Required: You’ll need a high level of training in animation, and you’ll likely need to have a Bachelor’s of Science in something medical like biology.
Where You’ll Need to Live: You’ll need to work at a company that provides these services, but that can be all over the country.
5. Social Media
What it is: Like most kids these days, your child probably consumes a lot of social media content. Believe it or not, the people creating that content make money by working with brands to promote their products, or selling their own products to their audience. This is a risky industry to decide to build a career in, but it is possible! Some of the most successful YouTube channels are Lucas the Spider, Jaiden Animations, The Odd 1s Out, all with millions of subscribers.
Industry Size: $8 billion
Average Salary: The salaries of influencers are incredibly variant, but one good metric is the salaries of what are called micro-influencers who have 6,000-100,000 followers. These micro-influencers average about $40,000-$100,000 per year. Like I said before, this is an incredibly risky career to pursue, but if you feel comfortable with your student creating a YouTube channel and building a following (with your supervision of course!), then it can be a great learning experience, and potentially something more for their future.
Level of Education Required: No education requirement, just really good animation.
Where You’ll Need to Live: Literally anywhere.
These are just a few animation career paths that many people don’t know about! I have worked as a professional animator in film and television for almost 30 years both with Walt Disney Feature Animation and Sony Pictures on films like Emperor's New Groove, Tarzan, and Polar Express. Now I’m bringing my wide experience—both from the professional animation field and from being an expert homeschooling dad—into teaching students ages 11-18 about this fascinating art form. If your child is interested in animation, filmmaking, or storytelling, check out The Animation Course!
Chad Stewart
Founder & Teacher, The Animation Course
Former Disney Animator
