[Asurfael]

surely somebody with great talent but no diplomas will be considered. I know a couple of people that started working in the biz before finishing highschool (they were actually going to highschool and working comissions for the while). If you're good, put up a portfolio page somewhere, somebody will surely notice the talent and contact YOU if you really got what it takes. Of course you can just first contact the employer and send only the link to your portfolio, then if the employer's interested tell more about yourself. If you're good, that should do it.

[MadSamoan]

I can understand the dilemna of college vs. work experience, but high school?

Well in the end, the portfolio and previous work experience do all the talking. The degree is usually irrelevant until you start getting into a management role. If anything, the degree serves a purpose of demonstrating that you could follow through something to completion over an extended period of time and don't flame out easily.

You'd have to be pretty damn good to warrant not finishing high school and if you aren't it'll count against you, because it'll give them the impression that you didn't have the discipline to follow through on something as important as an education or that you couldn't handle the social pressures that school presents. And if you can't handle the pressures an educational institution presents, you probably won't handle the real world pressures of deadlines and working in a professional environment.

[mjmcchesney]

I was just wondering if a high school diploma was a major factor when an art firm looks at new talent. Is more focus put upon education, or is more focus put on the actual portfolio submitted? For example, if someone does not have a full highschool career, could they be hired for a decent job in a cg firm? Or would the employer simply pass that resume on, despite that person having stellar artistic talent? It's an issue I've been wondering about for a while, and I would think that if a company were logical in any way whatsoever, they would look at the portfolio in front of education. A BA in Industrial Design may look good on a resume, but what happens if the actual designs are complete crap? In this case, would someone with great talent but no highschool or college education be considered? Any opinions on this?

[turnip]

HS is a breeze compared to working in the real world. You don't have to worry about rent or bills if you missed a deadline or flunked a test. Sure they teach mostly crap and other irrelevant subjects that you may never care for, but it's all about discipline, team work, time management, handling pressure. If you don't stay in high school for the academics at least stay for the life skills.

But no, an employer won't necessary (most of the time anyway) consider the completion of hs a requirement.

[bearsclover]

I would hope that a good portfolio would speak louder than a HS diploma (or any diploma).

However, unless you are 100% sure that you will ALWAYS be getting art-related jobs that don't require a HS (at least) diploma, you NEED a HS diploma. Many other jobs (including many "dead end" jobs) require one. And most artists end up taking a non-art job at some point or another, if only to make ends meet between artsy jobs. You never know what might happen. It's better to cover your butt and have at least a HS diploma, so that a wider range of jobs are open to you.

[ May 15, 2002: Message edited by: bearsclover ]

[Socar MYLES]

It'll only count against you if the employer finds out you didn't go to high school. I can't say not finishing is a GOOD thing for your career, but what you CAN do is just not put an education section on your resume--go straight from career objectives to experience.

I suspect someone hiring an industrial designer might inspect your resume much more closely than, say, the art director of a games company. When you do a degree in industrial design, you don't just learn how to design--you learn industry terms, standard notations and representational conventions, and how to put together a presentation for a client. If an employer finds out you don't have such a degree, your chances will go down. If he finds out you didn't finish high school, you're probably finished. What you CAN do is attend an adult-education program in industrial design at a community college--you don't always need to have finished high school to participate. You will get a diploma (not as good as a degree, but better than nothing), and you won't have to say anything about high school.

Good luck!

[jezelf]

I can give you a view of someone who didn't take the Degree route. I'm not saying you shouldn't do one, though.

I think HS is important. if you've started, then finish! - I totally agree with a lot of the points made here, employers could very well consider you dropping out of high school a minus point.

Personally, I did as far as a national diploma, but I never did a degree. At the time I was trying to get into illustration courses - with an aim to specializing in comic strip art. I discovered that the colleges I went to for interviews simply were not interested in my goals, and, as I've often found with comics strip art, people look down on it 'because its comics'. Graphic story telling just didn't seem to be on their agenda. So not doing a degree didn't start as a choice.

Still, I ended up listening to myself - and spent the next 4 yrs teaching myself through trial and error - rejection after rejection just made me more determined - more time than a degree in the end.

Having people around you who can keep you from falling in common pitfalls - as in HS -is certainly a good thing. Life drawing is something you can do at college, and from it you can learn many a valuable lesson.

However I've always thought that you don't need a documentfrom an education athority to say you can draw or even make music - it can be seen in your portfolio.

I can't say for true if not doing a degree is advisable.I guess it also depends if you want to work freelance or join a company. I have found that I can't work abroad without a degree (or 10yrs exp) - that's something worth thinking about - something you might find if you want to join a company abroad.

I finally got job, not in comics, but in computer game development, drawing storyboards and concept art. Now, 6 years later, I'm a lead artist with additional skills I've learn on the job. Ive never regreted not doing a Degree - in fact, theres a ver high chance that I wont be in the posistion I am now if I did!

Anyway I now conduct interviews. I don't care about where you were educated. Its all about if you have the knowledge, the skill, if you're a team player and can work under pressure.

Hope I've been of some help.
Good luck
Jez.

[Dr. Bang]

Then your art has to be the best of the best!

Show us some of your work.

[jezelf]

Me? no. not really.

I certainly DONT consider myself the best of the best at all. Theres ALWAYS someone better than yourself.

-which is strange when you think about it, coz the line has to end somewhere - but you know what I mean! :-)

anyway -Ive not actually got a site up yet. but as you ask, here's some work samples. its all computer games related and copyrighted (needless to say) property of me or Acclaim Entertianment.

havent tried this before, so hopefully, these links will work...

comic strip stuff
concept - characters
more concept characters concept - miscellaneousconcept - spaceshipspress & marketing stuff


I sent them around a couple of years ago to find work. these were part of a sample portfolio I'll send by the net and then back up with more stuff in an interview - including life drawing, paintings etc etc.

they're old stuff, coz Ive been working on this game Battle Engine Aquila for the last year and half, so hopefully, when Im allowed, I'll post concept art from it too!

[Dr. Bang]

Jezelf, i was refering to mjmcchesney But this misunderstanding creates a pleasant surprise. Tee hee, now got to see your beautiful art. They're too awesome! I enjoyed every single one of them !!

Thanks for posting them!

[Basse_Ex]

As someone who don't have any high-school, and was high through most of elementary school, I certainly hope most employers don't look at such insignificant details as education

But... I'd strongly recommend finishing high-school anyhow, just to get those little scraps of common knowledge that are oh-so usefull sometimes.
I consider myself reasonably smart. For instance: my english ain't half bad for an uneducated Norwegian.
But sometimes I discover these huge gaps in my elementary knowledge, and it's not fun at all. Silly little things. It's quite embarrassing, and really frustrating.

For that reason alone I'd recommend high-school.

Not to mention the fact that you probably get a lot of life experiences from it.

Probably.

[jezelf]

Dr Bang- LOL - phew! that goodness for that. I didnt want to sound like a know-it-all or anything. Thank you for your kind comments.

Im learning tons of stuff here at this site and over at www.conceptart.org - theres a similar question in

Art Schools and Education

I think I saw you name, over there somewhere, Dr. Bang, but is anyone else hasnt been there yet check it out.