Note: This points are applicable only to students who are serious about what they want to do in life and want to create a career, those who are learning just to kill time in vacations or for fun, please do not waste your time reading the following points:
1. Choose a course/ program that suits your background:
Many students get carried away by what is possible but do not do a reality check. Let me give an example, today we see many students without commercial art or similar background rush to do animation courses. They realize they have done a big mistake only after they completed the course, spent valuable time and money. Yes it is fun to learn and do animation; yes you might even get your first job because there is serious crunch of animators in the industry. But the real story starts once you are into the job for 6 months or a year. You will feel stuck and find yourself not growing and not getting higher responsibilities not for any other reason but the fact that you are misfit for doing high end jobs in the field. Do you really want to get into a career where you don’t grow?
2. Take advice from someone who has been there done that:
As a student you might not have the right knowledge to judge the quality of course content. Everything written on that beautiful brochure would mean wow to you. However, due to various reasons, not all institutes including those having centers in every corner of India update the courses to match the pace according to what is required in the industry. So please find out an experienced professional who can help you judge the content of the course. Preferably the person advising you should have more than 3 – 4 years experience in the respective field. For god sake don’t do a course just because your friends or relatives are doing it. It is good to have company, but then it cannot be the reason to join the course. I think you can put your Facebook, Orkut & CGtantra skills to good use to find someone who can help you.
3. No Pain No Gain:
One of the weird reasons why students choose a particular institute is because they are nearby their home. If you know an institute which is away but better then the one near your home, please don’t be silly to compromise on quality just because of location. If you are doing a course to build a career, take the pain to travel, and learn from best possible location, all efforts will give you rich dividends in the future.
4. Pay the Fees in Installment whenever possible:
You are all excited about learning a new skill, you find a place, you pay the full fees, you get a receipt which has clearly written on it ‘NON REFUNDABLE’. Later if you find the institute is not up to the mark, or you don’t feel interested in the subject, be prepared for a lifelong reminder from your parents. ‘You paid the fees but you never completed the course’. The escape route here is to choose to pay in installments, so that you only pay the next installment if everything is going in line with your expectations.
5. Choose a technology of future rather then a present phenomenon:
Hype is one demon that can take even the most wise men for a ride. Don’t do a course just because it is in demand right now, consider the duration of the course and assess will you be able to capitalize on the hype, or will the hype fizz out by the time you complete the course? Try to find out areas which are not in demand right now, but have a huge potential in next 4-5 years. It is always good to be associated with a technology which is yet to reach its peak, rather then getting into a technology where the top slot is full.
6. Don’t continue learning at a bad institute:
Time is money, but we forget to implement its essence in our lives. You have paid the fees, but unfortunately the institute is not upto the mark. Quit it immediately, spending more time at a bad institute is not going to help your career in anyway. You can prevent such situation to arise by doing your homework well.
7. Do not choose a course just because the course/ program fee is less:
IT/ Animation Training is an expensive business. Keeping good infrastructure, hiring quality trainers with in-depth knowledge is expensive, hence at many institutes the fees though may seem to be high, but the value they deliver more then makes up for the high cost. Unfortunately, many institutes are expensive for wrong reasons. To fund their advertisement expenses. Learn to differentiate between the 2 types. Because of the franchise system, the sole objective is money making and sadly wrong things end up being compromised. If an institute is charging radically low fees, I doubt you will get quality. You might get the satisfaction of getting an amazing deal and making huge savings. But it is being pennywise and pound foolish. You will get a raw deal in terms of salary if you have not learnt from quality source, or worst you will not get a job.
Please Note: Please stay away from 21 courses in Rs. 5000/- types.
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1. Age of the Institute
All successful institution go through a trial and error period in fine tuning their course, where they work out what works best for their students. If it is the first time the institute is opening, it is not the best idea to become the Institute's "Guinea Pig". Besides the older the school, the bigger the alumi would be which translates into a goodwill in the market for that institute, hence the recruiters would be more keen to see your work than compared to others.
2. Experience of Faculty
You should demand to know the experience of the tutors there. It is not a uncommon to find that the sometimes the faculty are actually fresh graduates of the institute. Ask to see their showreels if possible to see what exactly have they worked on.
3. Number of Faculty
A school which employs many teachers to teach a specialist subject(modelling, texturing, animation) is slightly better because then the teachers can you give better attention, since the teacher to student ratio is spread out and is low. Plus if you don't get along well with one teacher, there is always others you are can rely on. Having said there are lots of generalist teachers out there who are very competent.
4. Demo Reel of Students
Ask to see the showreels(not stills) of the students. One should see what the final product looks like. It is always good idea to compare the quality of the showreels versus good International Institutes such as Ringling, VFS or Animation mentor. Stay away from institute which refuse to show their work of their best students.
5. Course Content
Choose institute which also makes emphasis on the art side, apart from the technical side, ie they also teach a bit of 2d Animation, sculpting, life drawing, acting classes etc. These would help you build a good artistic foundation of your career. If your institute does not provide these facilities, it is recommended you do these courses along with your 3d program.
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