Earning a Physics Degree to Land Animation Jobs
Mike Judge is one of the most successful animators in the business. His career was launched by the wildly popular cartoon, Beavis and Butthead. He branched out and created another cartoon called King of the Hill, which has celebrated its 200th episode. Unlike many who go into the animation business, Judge didn’t originally aspire to be an animator. He majored in physics and eventually moved to Texas to work as an engineer.
While in Texas, Judge actually tried to break into the music business. He dabbled in animation, though, and created an animated short called Office Space for an animation festival in Dallas. That short was eventually picked up by Comedy Central, which put him on the animation radar screen. His second short, Frog Baseball, humorously portrayed the sorry state of TV-watching adolescent males. This comedy eventually led to the first of Judge’s many animation jobs, Beavis and Butthead.
Jobs in Animation Come Through Hard Work—Not by a Formula
Judge’s story shows that there is no guaranteed path to land jobs in animation. The one factor that is common to most animation success stories is that those who make it work hard. Judge created an animated short that he eventually sold to a major network. He followed up on his first success with another quality film. This consistency in quality demonstrated Judge’s willingness to work hard to achieve his goals.
If you’re currently trying to parlay your animation school degree into some jobs in the animation industry, don’t give up. Keep working hard to hone your animation and creative skills. While no one knows the formula on how to land animation jobs, ambition and dedication seem to be two key ingredients.
