[Dekard]

I work 40 hours a week doing an IT Job that makes fairly good money. I have always dreamt of going to art school and getting my degree and my foot in the door. My whole life I tell you!!

Ok, I thought about Ringling Art College, and would attend if I could swing the 17K per year they want just for classes. I thought about a local state University, but they don't have any 'real' art degrees, other then 'fine arts'.

With the 'recession' and all in effect right now the best thing for me will be to go to a college that has night courses for my degree.

Here's the deal, I just enrolled in the "International Academy of Art and Design" for an associates degree in Computer Animation, in a few months they will be accredited for the Bachelors program. Does anyone have any good or bad experiences with them? If you were in my situation would you do the same? I can attend school there and get my Associates in 18 months and my Bachelors in 36 months, all while keeping my regular job. I know it will be rough but I thought I'd ask you guys since you seem so helpful.

Thanks for any advice in advance.

Dekard

[jeffery]

If this is the International Academy of Design based in Toronto, watch out. They're one of a zillion private colleges popping up throughout the land that offer quickie degrees that aren't really taken seriously by many businesses.

In any art-related field, it's your skill more than your degree that will land you a job. But places like this one are only interested in getting as many people in & out as possible, and making $$$ rather than teaching any useful skills.

I saw a class of 50 graphic designs students from Toronto's International Academy of Design end up working data entry jobs at my ex-employer, and they all got laid off within a year. And as far as I know, none of them have found employment in the graphics industry or even the computer industry since then.

[daniel.rodrigues]

I wouldnt go for it.. The reason those graduates probably didnt get any jobs cause they didnt have skills to back up the degree. You cant just put a person studying computer animation for a year and expect them to get a job in the industry..

or maybe its more than a year.. im not sure..
consider sheridan.. you could take classical animation ffor 3 years and then get into computer animation from there..

[Dekard]

It's a full degree program 1.5-2 years for associates 3.5-4 for Bachelors. Most colleges are for profit. I guess I could say f*ck it and go to Bachelors in IT at a night school since I'm already down that road then.

[jeffery]

doesn't sound like the place i'm thinking of. the one in toronto is one of those 10-month colleges.

in canada, there was a crop of universities/colleges that were pretty much government-regulated for a long time. most of those regulations have been dropped now, allowing almost anyone to have a "college" if they want. thats what i meant by "for profit." might be a situation unique to canada.