Are Animation Classes Worth It?

Before you get too deep into combing the Internet for animation classes, it helps to know whether or not enrolling in classes is worth your time and your money. Although the answer to this question is different from person to person, enrolling in animation classes is worth it for those whose goals require learning it. If you’re interested in beginning a new career in animation or upskilling to advance your current career, animation classes are worth it. If you’re only concerned with completing personal projects or deepening your hobby, you may not find an expensive and in-depth animation class to be worth the cost. Learning animation tools, techniques, and skills in a class is the best way to develop the professional skills that you’ll need to succeed in creating high-quality projects. This article is going to help you put into perspective the many factors you’ll have to consider when determining whether or not animation classes are the best option for you.

Consider the Costs

Taking an animation class can be expensive. Tuition and fees will vary from facility to facility, but the cost of an animation class will largely depend on how in-depth the course is and its length. If you’re enrolling in a course to gain professional-level skills that can be applied to a career in animation, expect to see a significant price tag. Remember, classes are an investment in your future, your future earning potential, and your career. Cost is going to be a deciding factor when choosing an animation class, so establish a budget and choose a class within your set budget. You’ll find less expensive options, including on-demand classes, free online tutorials, and shorter classes, but each has its trade-offs, advantages, and disadvantages. With so many options available, you’ll want to judge what is and isn’t worth the cost when comparing different classes.

Advantages of Taking an Animation Class

There are many advantages to taking an animation class. While they can be a costly investment, many students decide to take in-person or live online classes to learn animation skills that are useful and in demand professionally.

General Benefits

The biggest benefit is learning a new skill or skill set that can be applied to your career or personal projects. Live animation training classes offer students a real, live instructor to guide them through the course curriculum. This is preferred by most students because it offers real-time feedback, personalized instruction, and step-by-step guidance through course material. Many students find that enrolling in a class keeps them accountable, helping them to stay focused and engaged in class while also helping them better understand the course material. 

Access to Software Programs

Enrolling in a course also grants many students access to software programs at a discounted rate while also guiding them through how to effectively use them. There are several animation tools and programs that are commonly used. If you want to attend an animation class to deepen your hobby, you may not want to pay for the programs. Some training centers have software programs available to students for no additional fee. AfterEffects, Premiere Pro, and Cinema 4D are a few industry-standard software tools that are used in animation. You can learn how to use these programs confidently and efficiently when you have a dedicated, expert instructor helping you learn the ins and outs of these programs. You’ll be given practice exercises to gain hands-on experience with practical animation tasks. 

Learning Theory and Practice

Gaining a foundational understanding of design and composition theory helps understand the various animation techniques you’ll be learning to use. Learning the why behind the work is a vital part of becoming a great animator. Visual design theory helps you understand the rules so that you can effectively break them when you need to and best apply them in other projects. When you’re enrolled in a class, your instructor can help you understand animation theory and how to apply it to various animation techniques. 

Collaboration

Oftentimes, Animators work as part of a team. Teams can consist of many different people, including Video Editors, Writers, Directors, Audio Editors, and Motion Graphics Designers. There is a complex and collaborative process that occurs that takes a project from a concept or a brief to a polished and finished product. Each part of the team plays a vital role in the creation, and Animators need to learn how to be a team player. This is a skill that can be taught, and a class can help you gain a better understanding of the animation process, how others are involved, and how you fit into the team by allowing students to work together on real-world projects that mirror the kinds of work that they will need to master in a professional context. 

Personalized Feedback

There is no substitute for personalized feedback. It allows you to improve your work, ask questions, and deepen your understanding of animation. Personalized feedback is invaluable to those who want to use their education for professional gains. As you build your animation portfolio this feedback helps develop strong pieces that demonstrate your command of animation and your style. 

Building a Portfolio

An animation portfolio is a big part of how you gain confidence and demonstrate your command of animation skills and theory. If becoming a professional animator is your goal, you’ll want your portfolio to show your professional skills and your style of work. Your portfolio must be well-rounded and sell you as an animator. 

Considerations to Make When Looking at Animation Classes

Although animation classes aren’t always the best move for everyone interested in animation. If you decide to explore whether or not classes are going to help you achieve your goals, there are some key considerations to keep in mind as you research animation classes.

General Considerations

Some of the general considerations you’ll need to make when looking at animation classes include whether the class is in-person or online and on a full-time or part-time schedule. There are multiple learning formats available, and you’ll find that a certain format better suits your needs. If you have a tight schedule, you may need to enroll in an online course so you can skip the commute and participate in class from wherever you are. If you’re more of a social learner who thrives in a traditional classroom setting, an in-person animation class will be the better choice. Live online classes operate more like traditional in-person classes, but on-demand or self-paced online courses are pre-recorded and will require dedication and motivation. On-demand online courses are easy to procrastinate with and not complete because there is a very low accountability threshold and you get to decide when you take time to learn animation. Find out if there are any prerequisites. You may need to leverage some free learning resources to satisfy prerequisites, or you may have to enroll in a more introductory class before the class you’re interested in.

Balancing Theory and Practical Skills

Figuring out the right balance of theory and practical skills isn’t always an easy task. It can be more difficult to decipher when you’re a beginner to animation. Do you enjoy learning the history of things? Or do you like to jump right into the action and get involved? Why do you want to learn animations? While you will need to learn both practical skills and theory, starting with what is most interesting and practical to you can make your learning path smoother. For instance, if your objective is to create animations for your YouTube channel or social media profiles, then you probably don’t want to be bogged down by theory, you want to get right to the good stuff. You want to learn how to create amazing animations and manage multiple projects at once with Adobe Animate or Adobe AfterEffects quickly. With so many animation classes to choose from using the Classes Near Me tool, you’re sure to find a class with the right balance between theory and practice.

What Skills Do You Need to Know?

As a beginner, you won’t know what skills you need to know. But you can get a sense of what you might need by comparing classes and considering what you want to achieve by enrolling in an animation course. If you only need animation for personal projects, you probably don’t want to spend the kind of money that’s necessary for someone who’s looking to build a career. If you’re not a beginner and already have some experience with animation, perhaps you only need an intermediate or advanced class to accomplish your learning goals. Comparing classes is a great way to see what topics are being covered in the different levels of classes and which are more balanced.

Is It Worth Enrolling in Animation Classes?

As previously stated, how worth enrolling in an animation class is for you may not be the same for someone else. With that in mind, here is a breakdown of how worthwhile animation classes are for different groups of people. Chances are, you fall into one of these groups, and you’ll get a better sense of what animation classes can do for you. 

Who Will Find It Worthwhile?

Any novice animator who is seriously interested in starting a new career in animation is going to find the time, cost, and energy spent on an in-depth and immersive animation course worthwhile. Not only will they benefit from the professional development, but also from the career support services some training centers provide students and practical training. The upfront costs can be expensive, but the long-term earning potential can balance that out over time. Others who will find animation classes worthwhile are creatives who need to expand their skill set to better express their creative visions and those who are already working in professional roles in marketing, human resources, and public health and need to upskill or reskill. These individuals may not need an in-depth class, but could certainly benefit from an introductory course that covers basic animations that will be useful in their professional projects. 

Who Might Find It Worthwhile?

Those who could potentially find taking animation classes worthwhile include people who are considering pursuing a creative career but aren’t sure if animation is the direction they’d like to move in. Content creators considering making the most of platforms like YouTube and TikTok can expand the reach of their work with animation classes. While these platforms have made it easier than ever to share your content with millions of viewers, it has also saturated the marketplace with content creators. That’s why it is to your advantage to make sure that your content is professional-looking and appealing to larger audiences. Enrolling in an animation course and mastering fundamental animation skills will enable you to create work that you can be proud of and reflects your aesthetic.

Anyone who is considering working in an adjacent field like graphic design or video editing and wants to have a broader skill set might also find animation classes worthwhile. Adjacent professions won’t have regular use for animations, but animation skills can be needed in certain projects. Bolstering your professional toolkit makes you more marketable and more desirable to clients and potential employers. A few animation classes could make you a better Graphic Designer or Video Editor, allowing you to stretch your creativity further without having to rely so heavily on other creative professionals, saving you both time and energy. 

Who Probably Doesn’t Need an Animation Class?

An animation class might not be for you if you’re a hobbyist content creator or an amateur animator. Those belonging to these groups typically do not have a timeline they need to adhere to and can learn at their own pace using free online resources. It’s probably not worth the cost and time commitment to enroll in a formal class. While not taking animation courses may cause your projects to take longer, if you’re not going to gain anything other than personal satisfaction the expense may not be justified. Free introductory courses or topic-based free resources may be a better fit for your needs. 

Those who are already established in animation probably don’t need to enroll in any classes to push through a challenge that they’re presented with. Enrolling in an animation course could be a timeline disruptor. What if the topic isn’t addressed until much later in the class curriculum? What if the topic is only touched upon and you’re left without resolution? Independent research, single-topic free resources, and consulting with other creative professionals will likely yield better results. 

Learn Animation Skills with Noble Desktop

Noble Desktop has an animation class for you, whether you’re interested in immersive and in-depth training or something less intense and more practical. If you’re searching for an animation course that’s going to help you establish a career in animation, then you should consider their Motion Graphics Certificate course. This course offers students the chance to get started with video editing, animate motion graphics, create visual and special effects, and build a professional demo reel/portfolio using Cinema 4D, After Effects, and Premiere Pro. It’s a beginner-friendly, 96-hour, project-based course with no prior knowledge required. If you’re comfortable using a computer, Noble Desktop can get you on the road to becoming an Animator. 

When you enroll in their Video Editing & Motion Graphics Certificate course you’ll learn video editing principles, advanced After Effects, and Premiere Pro techniques, as well as get a bonus lesson in either AI for Video & Motion Graphics or Adobe Photoshop Bootcamp in 126 hours. It’s helpful to be familiar with Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop but not required. This is a beginner-friendly certificate course that also covers post-production and animation. Both of these certificate programs allow students one free retake and 1-on-1 mentoring sessions outside of class. You can choose from a full-time or part-time schedule and flexible payment plans. 

If you’d prefer something a little less intense and focused on one topic, consider After Effects Bootcamp. This bootcamp will teach you how to create animated motion graphics using professional techniques from the basics to motion tracking and green screen removal. This beginner-friendly, 18-hour, project-based bootcamp will help you create dynamic transitions, add audio to animations, and incorporate video footage. This course offers a free retake, class recordings, and a 1-on-1 mentoring session. If you just want to cover the basics of After Effects, consider enrolling in After Effects in a Day.