Question Submitted from Mandee H. Concept art by Kalen Chock
Hi, I am a sophomore in highschool and I was wondering:
What kind of schools should I look at if I am interested in becoming a concept artist for games? What kind of degree should I shoot for? Is getting an online degree a good idea? Should I start off my career as a freelancer or working for a studio? As I said earlier, I’m still in high school so I am not quite sure what to do when I graduate to start off my career.
Thank you for taking the time to read my email.
Hey Mandee, thanks for reaching out. I’m glad you found the blog. My responses are inline.
What kind of schools should I look at if I am interested in becoming a concept artist for games?
- Have you visited the Resources page? There’s an entire section dedicated to Concept art focused schools and even more info can be had in the downloadable .pdf list.
What kind of degree should I shoot for? Is getting an online degree a good idea?
- In this industry since you will be hired based on your merits as an artist (aka. your portoflio) degrees don’t really mater as much. Don’t focus on the degree itself, rather the education you will receive. I wrote “An Insider’s Guide For Student’s” for student’s like yourself who have specific questions about the types of classes you should be taking, colleges to attend, etc. Check out chapter 3 (How to make the most of your education and schooling).
Should I start off my career as a freelancer or working for a studio?
- If you want to work in video games, then I would aim to be an in-house artist before you set off on your own to freelance. This will give you time to familiarize yourself with the process of game development, grow as an artist and develop the communication skills (both vocally and artistically) to deliver successful concepts to clients. Plus the work experience will look good on your resume, and future clients will have confidence in your abilities knowing that you have worked on “big” projects in the past. If you have the time, you may also consider taking an online course from Chatham University or other similar educational institutions. Since knowledge is key to everything you do in the real world, having a degree or two might help you in the future
If you need further insight, I would highly recommend that you pick up your own copy of An Insider’s Guide For Students. I wrote that book as straightforward and honest as I could in hopes to answer your exact questions and more. Check it out and let me know what you think. If you still have questions after reading it, I would be happy to answer them.
-Eliott
