Which Animation Course Is Best for High School Students/Teens?

Animation is an incredibly popular and powerful medium used in many different fields.

For example, television studios utilize it when creating new content, such as shows, advertisements, etc. Just as importantly, films (particularly animated ones) need animation specialists to produce attractive work. Beyond high-budget projects, animation skills may help with media marketing, YouTube production, and even personalized amateur production projects. 

Thankfully, teens fascinated by this medium can choose from many fun and engaging classes to improve their abilities and help them transition into this rewarding career type. These courses help fine-tune a teenager’s animation abilities, explain standard production techniques, and teach them how to use various vital tools. Though it won’t provide a one-size-fits-all training solution, attending an animation course can give teens the necessary background knowledge.

Defining Animation and Its Uses for High Schoolers

Animation is the process of designing, drawing, making layouts, and preparing photographic sequences that are integrated into multimedia and gaming products. It involves manipulating images to appear as moving images, and it's used in various forms, including 2D hand-drawn, 3D modeling, and CGI (computer-generated imagery). Originally done entirely by hand, animation has become a primarily computer-based field in recent years.

While some teens might think of animated movies, shows, and YouTube videos as fun and games, animation plays a pivotal role in various entertainment and production markets. When properly mastered, teens can use animation in many surprising and exciting ways. For example, digital animation is used when creating: 

• Animated movies, including blockbuster Disney and Pixar films 
• Television shows, such as popular kids and adult shows 
• Video games, particularly those with high-quality graphics 
• Digital advertising, including on-site ads and marketing materials 

Furthermore, teens could use animation to help their family and friends in fun ways. For instance, they could integrate hilarious videos into graduation and family reunion presentations. This kind of side hustle could help teens make good money doing something fun (a huge bonus) and build a portfolio of solid work that shows off their abilities to colleges and employers.

Popularity and Benefits of Learning Animation for High Schoolers

The field of animation has grown substantially due to advances in technology and its expanding application across various media. In fact, it’s subtly become one of the most popular and widely used skills in media production! As a result, teens fascinated by it could easily find fascinating and rewarding careers after college and use animation in innovative ways. 

That said, learning animation can be incredibly beneficial for teenagers in many other ways. Just a few reasons why mastering animation can be an excellent opportunity for high school students include the ways that it lets them:

1. Mastering a New Creative Art: Animation allows students to bring their artistic visions to life dynamically. For example, a teen may have an excellent idea for a movie in mind that they can create utilizing animation. Even if they use free software to produce somewhat crude results, this experience can be emotionally rewarding for teens.
2. Producing Films and Videos: Learning animation provides the tools to create anything from short clips to full-length features. That’s useful for any teenager fascinated by filmmaking or someone who wants to join a professional production team either as an intern or as a full-time video editor later in life.
3. Starting a YouTube Channel: Animation skills can be particularly useful for those looking to produce unique content and engage viewers on platforms like YouTube. With YouTube and other video platforms providing hours of entertainment, knowing animation could help a teen stand out in an overcrowded and often brutally competitive market.
4. Career Opportunities: As the digital landscape expands, animation skills are increasingly in demand across many industries. Many of these fields are high-earning, particularly at the highest level. For instance, Disney animators can make hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars on a project! Getting there is tricky, though.

Typical Animation Learning Program for High Schoolers

A structured animation learning program for teens typically includes at least three learning tiers. They start by introducing entry-level concepts, such as basic animation theory, that help teens understand this process on a broad level. Then, courses move on to cover intermediate theories and more advanced lessons that help a teen master professional-level animation skills. 

Note that many of the classes highlighted here aren’t designed as a complete learning experience. Yes, teens will walk out with the skills they need to become master animators, including a deep understanding of software and animation techniques. But full mastery takes more lessons and regular practice. Here’s a quick look at the topics teens might study in class:

• Beginner Lessons: In the earliest animation learning sessions, students will study the basics of this art, including understanding frames, simple animations, and introductory software like Adobe Animate or Blender. Mastering these elementary (but essential) skills and techniques will ensure that teens feel comfortable moving onto higher-level courses later in their studies.
• Intermediate Lessons: At this level, teen students will study techniques in character animation, storyboarding, and intermediate software skills in programs such as Autodesk Maya or Adobe After Effects. These important subjects can help teenagers move on to bigger and better things, including exciting careers in television, film, YouTube, and marketing production.
• Advanced Lessons: Finally, teen students will move on to more complex projects involving 3D modeling, CGI animation, and advanced post-production effects. These topics are critical to professional-level animation and require teenagers to study hard, practice their skills, and produce high-grade portfolio projects to stand out.

Careers in Animation for Teens

Animation skills open up a variety of career paths for teenagers in a myriad of fields. These can be extremely rewarding jobs with a potential for six figures, depending on the employer and the job’s scope. As teens master different animation skills, they’ll be able to fine-tune their interests and zero in on which job makes sense for them. These include fun and popular careers like:

• YouTube Production: Creating animated content or visual effects for YouTube videos can be a fun and rewarding side hustle or full-time gig. While most producers simply make a little extra cash, those who hit the big time can make millions. Teens can also use video production on social media sites like TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat to improve their presence.
• General Video Editing: Video editors may use animation skills when enhancing video productions with animated sequences or effects. They might not create fully animated sequences, per se, but integrate fun extra elements into their work. These might include small animated GIFs or cute animated characters walking across the screen.
• Television and Film: Teens who master this complex skill set could transition to working on animations for TV shows, advertisements, or movies. While the TV world has changed heavily in recent years (transitioning to a pretty heavy streaming market), there are still lots of animators working for Netflix, Hulu, and other companies. Often, these jobs are more consistent as well.
• Marketing: Marketing companies often need animators who are skilled in designing animated graphics for digital marketing campaigns. This process may include producing banner ads, social media marketing products, and much more. Animators will need to learn HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to integrate their ads and produce effective marketing results for their customers.

Schools and Bootcamps for Animation Useful to Teens

The sheer number of schools and bootcamps for animation make it easy for teens to find training options that makes sense for their skills and interests. These include courses on 2D animation, 3D production, character design, and much more. Students will not only learn about these theoretical concepts but also practical knowledge. Here are four schools with animation classes that may help teens transition into this exciting and amazing career field.

NextGen Bootcamps

NextGen Bootcamps provides a unique teen-oriented educational experience that can help high school students transition to a fascinating career in various fields. Designed to be fast-paced and short-term (taking one to four weeks) to minimize a teen’s time investment, each course provides hands-on exercises in either in-person (New York City only) and online. When completed, teens have an amazing portfolio of work that they can share with others.

Animation Summer Bootcamp NYC

Animation Summer Bootcamp NYC teaches teens about traditional 2D animation techniques, including the history of animation, important production principles, and character design concepts. Suitable for beginners, it includes sketching exercises, practical demonstrations, and other critical subjects that can improve your overall knowledge. Taking just 46 hours to complete, this course is suitable for teens fascinated by the unique world of animation.

Motion Graphics with After Effects NYC

Motion Graphics with After Effects NYC teaches high school students how to use After Effects to produce fascinating motion graphics, including 3D layer animation and motion tracking. Teens also learn about text animation, title production, and other important skills. In this way, they can master various critical skills before they transition into an exciting career in animation. Even better, it takes just 20 hours to complete with a high-quality work portfolio at the end.

Noble Desktop

Noble Desktop is a training center based in New York City, offering a wide range of hands-on, project-based courses designed to teach real-world tech skills. Since 1991, Noble Desktop has empowered thousands of students by providing high-quality education in fields such as graphic design, web development, digital marketing, and animation. Classes include in-person and online setups that focus on creating real-world animation skills teens can use.

Motion Graphics Certificate

Motion Graphics Certificate covers important animation subjects like Adobe After Effects, Premiere Pro, Cinema 4D Lite, video editing, and special effect production. Teens taking this course also get 1-on-1 mentoring, setup assistance, and much more to produce appealing and attractive work that consumers will love. When completed, they’ll have a portfolio of strong work that they can share with colleges and employers to stand out in their unique field.

After Effects Bootcamp

After Effects Bootcamp teaches important video editing skills utilizing Adobe’s After Effects program. It covers basic and advanced animation techniques, motion tracking, green screen removal, and much more. These classes also help teens produce attractive and engaging portfolios that highlight their work and show off their skills. That’s important for anyone who’s serious about becoming an animator who needs a little help learning essential techniques.

Animation Mentor

Animation Mentor is an online training school that provides teens, college students, and even adults with hands-on training in this in-demand skill. Designed to be easy to understand, fast-paced, and exciting, Animation Mentor also provides socialization opportunities for teens fascinated by this subject. Its simlpe programs provide guided instruction through animation lessons to reinforce a teen’s skills and ensure they feel comfortable with this career. 

Character Animation Program

Teens interested in making animated movies, shows, or video games may benefit from this course. It covers 3D character production using various types of software. Teens will work througyh hands-on lessons with a professor who can help them improve their skills exponentially. Other classes available from this provider include Game Animation, Creature Animation, and 2D Animation. Taking all these classes can help teens thrive in this field.

College Classes in Animation for Teenagers

While there are no specific AP courses for animation, many colleges offer detailed programs in animation and related fields. They’re an essential step for teens interested in animation who have completed a training course. After all, those classes are great for building beginner-level skills to streamline their college experience. Rather than taking those boring entry-level snoozers, teens can skip right to the good after taking a prep class, including subjects like:

• Animation Techniques: Teens transitioning into college animation will focus on covering everything from basic animation principles to advanced CGI technology. For instance, they’ll learn how various software produces intricate and attractive animation projects. This will allow them to improve their entry-level skills from earlier classes.
• Digital Arts and Media: Most animation courses also teach broader skills in digital content creation, including interactive media. In this path, students may learn how to produce animated marketing materials, advertisements, and landing pages. Understanding these important skills can help teens thrive in their careers.
• Film and Cinematic Arts: Animation college courses often focus on offering specialized tracks for animators looking to enter the film industry. For example, teens could learn to produce next-level animation with cutting-edge software. They could also get interview support, i.e., learn how to sit and talk with an animation team for a job.
• Internships: Studying animation in college can provide additional benefits, such as access to cutting-edge technology, internships with animation studios, and networking opportunities with industry professionals. Internships might not seem financially rewarding, but they provide an excellent “in” for students fascinated by animation.

Taking an animation course as a high school student is a valuable step towards a dynamic and creative career. With the proper training, such as that offered by NextGen Bootcamps and Noble Desktop, and further education in college, students can significantly enhance their artistic abilities and technical expertise, setting a solid foundation for success in the diverse field of animation. There’s no better time to start on this fantastic job path than now!