Education isn't the most important or valuable thing within this pathway. Most find success with simply just a high school diploma. However, this career pathway is highly competitive having a higher degree of education will help your chances at getting hired. The recommended degrees would be a Bachelor's degree or some form of education in the fine arts.
( Occupation profile for special effects artists and animators | careeronestop (no date) CareerOneStop. Available at: CareerOneStop.org (Accessed: 10 March 2026)).
Certain skills are needed for this particular career pathway. Namely being able to create art or drawings using 2D or 3D tools. You must also be able to listen to instructions from your employer. Other skills include being able to process lots of information as often times you would need to find context clues to show what exactly it is you need to make in the best ways possible.
Similar to education, you must have experience in fine arts. Experience using 3D animation tools or programs are highly valued. Employers will often search for experienced animators rather than new ones to ensure that they get quality work. Ways to show off that you have the needed experience is to attend college and attain a degree in the fine arts. You should also gather together a portfolio of your best works to show as this will increase your success rate of being hired.
If you are unsure how to get started, like how to prepare, here are a few tips.
The first recommended step would be to work on your skills and then take your best art pieces and place them inside of a portfolio. Often times, portfolios can be attached to a resume. When employers look at your resume they can see the portfolio and decide if your art style is a good fit for what they are after.
The second recommended step would be to get a degree in the fine arts, or graphic design. Anything art related will bolster your chances at getting a desired job within the animation career field.
Many companies will be looking for interns to train or to get on the job experience, sometimes with pay some times without. By building a portfolio and searching online for these opportunities you are able to apply to become an intern.
Employeers often look for people with certain skills or certifcations to hire, because it shows their knowledge.
In addition, one of the top certifcation used in industry is Toon Boom, being Toon Boom Harmony certified helps because it is an industry standard certification. Here is a link to Toon Boom's certification toonboom.com. Toon boom is a platform which is used by major studios. Learned from the courses, you will learn about storyboarding, character animation, animation principles, and navigating the Toon Boom Harmony interface.
At the end of the course, you will take a test which will prove understanding. Passing will grant you certification. The test has three attempts per voucher, or package. The test has a time limit of 45 minutes, but 90 for people with disabilities. A passing score is 70%. Questions are also formatted in randomized multiple choices answers.
Another certification that is useful and sometimes required by employers is certification with Adobe Animate. Adobe Animate is another industry standard which is often used by different animators. Provided is a link to the Adobe learning courses, which will prepare you to take their certification exam mindhub.com.
Taking this exam will reward the user with certification with Adobe Animate. The exam will include questions of working in the animation industry, project setup and interface, organizing documents, creating and modifiying multimedia elements, and publishing digital media.
For additional information, provided is a link to the exam guide. certifiedprofessional.adobe.com/animate#ExameGuide