Masters and Post Graduate Courses in the UK

iansmithartist

Im just looking for some feedback about post-graduate computer game courses in the UK. Or in face any options open to computer game graduates in the UK.

Just to explain my situation: I am a recent graduate with a small portfolio. There are little to no game companies in my area. There is also the consensus that with so many game developers closing their doors recently there are a high number of unemployed game artists with more experience and larger portfolios than today's graduates.

So, as I see it, there are two options,

a) Get a 9-5 job, make the jump to a better location, work and work and work at my portfolio.

b) Apply for a post-graduate course.

Advantage/Disadvantage for a)
- The main problem I see is that I would be spending more time working than I would be building my portfolio, making very little progression. Realisticly this would take a long time, perhaps time that could be spent on a post-graduate course. However I should come out of it debt free.

Advantage/Disadvantage for b)
- A post-graduate course would allow me to build my portfolio, learn new skills, and better prepare myself for employment. However, they are expensive, I have little money and I am already in debt with tuition fees (which I pay once I start earning over a certain amount.) I would have to save for find funding/loan before embarking on any course.

I'm sure there are many graduates in my position, across many disciplines and professions.

And so to the questions, of which there are many.

What post-graduate courses are recommended?
I am more a 3D artists man myself but for those that are animators, coders, etc. i'm sure others would love to know your experience of post graduate courses.

Are they worth it?
I am hoping they will give me the skills to build my portfolio rather than just a certificate to hang on my wall.

Is there any funding or loans to help with fees and living expenses?
As far as I know there is little help in the way of funding, is there any help, government or other wise? All im aware of are CDL's

If you saved/funded the money your self, how much or advice on raising funds?
This is of course a is dependant upon course, location, but I wouldn't know where to start calculating the cost of living for the whole duration of a post-grad course.

I hope I didnt make this to long winded, to me there seems to be a lot of options but little to explain them, I hope there is someone with more experience than I who can offer some advice.

Thanks, for your time.

frubes

I went to uni and got a 1st class degree in computer animation. Whilst it taught me a lot of valuable life skills very very few of them where technically relevant to the games industry and i learnt more in my first month in the job than i did in three years at uni. This is pretty much true of most of the current courses in the UK, both masters and undergrad purely becuase of the lack of qaulity technical teaching and lecture time.

If you really want to pay to learn go to escape studios (http://www.escapestudios.com/en_GB/training.html) or spend the money on gnomon dvds. They are about the only two forms of tuition which are worth it. I have colleauges at work (i work in a large VFX company in london but used to work in games) who have gone to escape and they learnt far more in the 12 week intensive program than you could possibly do at uni. Plus you are surrounded by like minded VFX artists who want to learn and the teaching is industry relevant which is the most important factor.

oobersli

you finished school...?? don't go back and put yourself farther into debt. Just work on your portfolio, post work up here for crits and feedback. if you have graduated, most likely you won't learn anything new or revolutionary. At this point its just a grind to refine your skills. oh and ya, if you must do any type of schooling, just do gnomon or other dvds. way cheaper, way better.

praxedes

escape is very good- their online training is excellent. I had the dough saved for a 12 week residential, but couldn't sort accommodation sadly, so I took the online stuff they do and got a new rig with the leftover cash. I agree with the sentiment that avoiding further debt is good- but balancing a job and portfolio grind is hard. I was a full time teacher but that left no time for my 3D, so I quit in July and signed onto an agency for teaching work so I can concentrate on my skills. It is just grind and polish after a certain point!

~P~

iansmithartist

Thanks for the feedback. Escape Studio is something I have considered.

balancing a job and portfolio grind is hard

Yeh, this is what i am finding at the moment and is what prompted my interest in post-grad courses.

if you must do any type of schooling, just do gnomon or other dvds

My experience with training DVD' including Gnomon DVDs is that they tend to give a general overview of learning techniques or work flows. Which im all fall, but sometimes I wish they would go step by step, take you from start to finish, so that I can create a final product suitable for my portfolio. Sometimes I feel the raise more questions than they answer (not all the time, but sometime)

Are the online lesson Escape Studio like this? Are they online videos/tutorials similar to gnomon dvds, or are they more like step by step lessons/classes?

Thanks,

Junkie_XL

I just have a certificate in computer animation. I can't help but think this is frowned upon rather than having a degree when I apply. My plan has been to work on the portfolio, land the job, then upgrade my status to holding a degree depending on where I move to.

Maybe this is assbackwards. I always thought portfolio mattered most above degree. But then I see how EA and R* require a degree so I'm confused.

I'm not sure if I want to waste money and time pursuing something that isn't going to happen. Still trying to break in and this is frustrating.

Mongrelman

Don't expect a postgrad degree to be much of an improvement over a normal one, or that it's going to teach you the stuff you'll need to get into the industry. Been there, done that, and pretty much the only things taught that were relevant to the job, I already knew. So you'd probably end up spending time doing assignments on things that won't actually help you.

Your education can get in the way of your learning.

If you do go for this though, you can try the ESF (European Social Fund), which can pay for the course and give you like £40 a week or thereabouts, which is nice to go towards rent. Though a course in traditional arts would probably be much more useful.

Training DVDs, tutorials online and practice are really the best way to go.