solarkid @ school - 3D-Palace Community Forums

solarkid · #1 09-09-2008, 08:01 PM

Hey guys,

Some of you may know that I decided to go to school to learn 3D and while many say that you can teach yourself what you need to know, others say an education is important and in some cases a necessity.
I don't want this thread to become a debate or anything, I just want it to be sort of a progress report and a gauge for everyone else to see. It may help others make the decision of whether to go to school or not.

I am attending Humber College in Toronto, Ontario and the course I am taking is 3D Modeling and Visual Effects. It is an intensive, one year certification that covers 3ds Max, Photoshop, Zbrush and Combustion. Only 20 students are admitted each year.

My life pretty much fell apart, save for one spark. So I decided that if I am to be happy, I have to be happy with my life first. That way, I can be happy while making others close to me happy as well. Step one - the career.

Before, I was conflicted as to whether I should teach myself and save thousands or go to school for the papers. Papers are pretty important in North America regardless of your or my opinion.
I can configure, diagnose, build and fix a computer faster and better than most certified graduates but it is not I that had the well-paying job or benefits.
Anyway, the bottom line was that I could not teach myself 3D in an organized manner. A great example is Cris' tutorials. They are fantastic and prove that methodology, application and structure work, regardless of whether the process is on-the-fly or not.

Over the next year I plan to update this thread as regularly as I can so those new to this scene can decide for themselves whether a formal education is worth it or not.

supertom44 · #2 09-09-2008, 08:08 PM

Congratulations, please do keep us updated will be great to hear how things are going and what your up to.

I to chose an education in 3d for similar reasons, I started a blog detailing my expereince at uni, but work got too much and I got too lazy to update it lol.

All the best.

Kristopher_Lee · #3 09-09-2008, 08:11 PM

Have fun and don't forget your snack packs.

solarkid · #4 09-09-2008, 08:11 PM

Day One

Art of 3D 1 - IMAG 790
Instructor: Cory Avery

Everything from the 3ds max interface, up to polygon modeling was covered. I already knew that stuff so I doodled and made this while I bided my time:

Yes I know it sucks.

Firestorm · #5 09-09-2008, 08:34 PM

Just wondering, if you don't mind me asking. How much are they charging you for one year of education?

supertom44 · #6 09-09-2008, 08:37 PM

First day and already doodling in class haha I love it.

solarkid · #7 09-09-2008, 09:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Firestorm

Just wondering, if you don't mind me asking. How much are they charging you for one year of education?

$7500.
This course is supposed to be better than the diploma courses as it is current and up-to-date. The diploma curriculums are a year behind because they are ministry funded, and therefore wrapped in government red tape. However, the diploma courses cost the same.

Humber is a renowned school and some graduates are hired right out of class. Examples of employers of graduates from last year include Hatch Studios, Digital Extremes and ILM. Previous employers also include Core Digital, Pseudo Interactive and Crytek.

My program coordinator worked for Disney and another prof rigged the Big Daddy for the BioShock TV commercial.

I did lot of research to make sure I wasn't gonna get hosed...like those poor IADT/Toronto Film School students.

budweizzer · #8 09-09-2008, 09:20 PM

Quite a lot for a single year of education

(compared to public school fees though)

Kristopher_Lee · #9 09-09-2008, 09:32 PM

Maybe so but depends on where you go. ITT Tech was over 17,000USD a year when I enrolled a few years ago. I didn't learn a damn thing. Had it not been for the chick that helped me fill out the paper work, I wouldn't have signed up. When she quit, I left too.

Now I'm in debt ... but I'm dating one of the teachers so kinda win/lose situation. Quite an expensive gf if you ask me.

solarkid · #10 09-09-2008, 10:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by budweizzer

Quite a lot for a single year of education

(compared to public school fees though)

Yes, it is expensive...but not as expensive as the for-profit schools with the instructors whose only qualification is a (unheard of) game mod...as Kris has experienced.

I did a LOT of research before I dropped a cent.

For me, it was a toss-up between Seneca and Humber. Seneca was more expensive but that was not a deciding factor. Humber has better connections, funding and facilities...plus the Seneca assistant was a snobby camel-toed bitch. That doesn't mean it's a bad school though.