2D Animator Job Search Tips & Best Practices

The first important step in any job application process is finding the open jobs that are available to you. Today, most jobs are posted to online job aggregation sites (often several at once), and potential employees submit materials directly through those platforms. Knowing where to look is very important, as is knowing how to filter out old or irrelevant job postings.

Location #1: Indeed.com

Indeed.com is the most popular job hosting platform in the world. With over 180 million unique visitors every month, the site has become one of the go-to places for companies to post their open positions to find qualified candidates. No matter what kind of 2D animation job you seek, you will likely find available positions through Indeed. The downside is that because the site is so expansive, the jobs will also be incredibly competitive.

Location #2: Glassdoor.com

Glassdoor is the other major generalist job hosting platform. While smaller than Indeed, there is significant overlap between the two platforms and aspiring animators are encouraged to use both to search for open positions. Aspiring 2D Animators can also explore some of Glassdoor’s job information and data aggregation tools to find average salaries, expected experience, and other data points concerning the posted jobs on the platform. As with Indeed, these jobs are likely to be reasonably competitive, but this should not discourage aspiring animators.

Location #3: LinkedIn.com

LinkedIn is a unique job search site because it isn’t primarily a job aggregation site. Rather, it is a professional networking platform that has recently begun building the infrastructure for job aggregation. Since you are likely to have a professional LinkedIn profile already, exploring the options available through that website is useful. It is also an ideal website for building professional connections that can help you find jobs that aren’t listed on aggregation platforms.

Location #4: AnimatedJobs.com

AnimatedJobs.com is a job aggregation site targeted explicitly at 2D Animators, 3D Animators, Concept Artists, and Storyboard Artists. This site is wonderful for targeting jobs in the entertainment or gaming industries, and it is built to help animators find the specific jobs they are looking for. It also aggregates freelance job postings and internships, making it a good place for animators of all experience levels to find work and build industry experience. Since it is a niche posting platform, fewer jobs will be posted on the aggregator, but these jobs will have a much higher chance of being relevant to your needs and interests.

Location #5: Google Jobs

While it may seem like a poor strategy, simply googling animation jobs is a good way to find local opportunities. Google has recently attempted to improve the quality of its search algorithm as a job aggregation tool. Thanks to the rollout of jobs.google.com, many companies are posting job openings directly to the search engine’s platform. This can still be a bit hit or miss, and it tends to bias towards local jobs (which can sometimes be sparse). However, it is a very fast and very efficient way to check another job posting platform for possible opportunities, so you would be remiss not to give it a try.

2D Animator Salary and Job Outlook

2D Animators command an average salary of approximately $62,000 a year, which is higher than the national average. 2D Animators starting salaries tend to be slightly lower than this, but they still generally hover in the mid-50,000s depending on the firm you are hired into and where you work. In terms of long-term earning potential, 2D Animators can command salaries of upwards of $100,000 dollars a year for creatives working in high-end management roles. However, in most cases, the highest paying jobs in the field are reserved for animators with a more robust skillset, particularly those with 3D animation training.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of animation and special effects jobs (the broad category of jobs under which 2D Animator falls) is set to expand by about 5% over the next decade. This is in line with the expected job growth across all industries, but is an outlier in terms of art and design jobs, which are only expected to grow by about 2%. If you are interested in a creative career, 2D animation might be a path worth considering, since the job outlook in this field is slightly rosier than the rest of the professional art field. 

Read more about 2D Animator salaries and the job outlook for a 2D Animator.

Learn the Skills to Become a 2D Animator at Noble Desktop

Once you’ve committed to learning the skills necessary to become a 2D Animator, Noble Desktop is available to make that dream a reality through professional skills instruction. Noble offers a wide array of 2D animation classes, available in person or online, and all of these classes are taught by expert instructors with years of on-the-job experience. This structure means that regardless of how your course is delivered, you’ll receive real-time instruction and be able to ask questions and receive personalized feedback on your work. Similarly, no matter whether you take the course in person or online, you’ll benefit from small class sizes and all of the professionalization support options, including one-on-one career mentoring in the career-certificate programs. Finally, every Noble class comes with the option for a free retake within one year, meaning that you’ll have the chance to build your portfolio and get even more hands-on experience in preparation for entering the job market.

Students interested in a career change may consider enrolling in Noble’s Motion Graphics Certificate program. This class aims to teach students how to use tools like Adobe After Effects and Premiere Pro to create evocative 2D and 3D animated assets for many practical projects. In this class, students will be guided through the process of using After Effects to animate text, photos, and videos, and they will learn how to modify these animations in subtle but perceptible ways slightly. Students will also learn how to create animated images using layered Photoshop and Illustrator files (this course does not include instruction in either of these tools, they are prerequisites for taking the course). Finally, students will learn how to use Premiere Pro to edit their animated assets into video files. All this work will culminate in a series of professionalization seminars, including a portfolio-building workshop and a one-on-one mentorship session, intended to prepare students for a career as a 2D or 3D Animator.

Students who aren’t ready to make a significant career shift but do want to learn 2D animation skills may want to consider one of Noble’s many motion graphics bootcamps. These classes include the Adobe After Effects Bootcamp, which provides students with guided instruction in the use of After Effects for creating animated digital assets and the Adobe Premiere Pro Bootcamp, which teaches students how to use that program to compile their animated assets into a completed project. These courses are excellent starting points for new animators looking to learn the trade. However, they don’t provide students with any of the professionalization services offered through Noble’s career certificate programs.

Finally, students who aren’t sure that they want to start learning 2D animation but are intrigued by the possibility should consult some of Noble’s free training resources to learn more. Noble’s Learn 2D Animation page, as well as their Learn After Effects and Learn Premiere Pro page compiles a weird range of articles, free seminars and resources that students can use to help them on their 2D Animation career path. Noble also provides prospective 2D Animators with a career information hub to help them decide if a career change is right for them.