I need some career advice- should I find a school or a job?

Ivn

Based on my portfolio here,
I got into Art Center's concept design class with that, in fact I've gone and overhauled it now that I don't have to worry about a deadline, but I just couldn't make that place work. I'm looking at Syn studio in Montreal, but I'm seriously torn on whether I want to do that or start looking for an in-house gig and do my learning on the job, because I know I would prefer that. School never really worked for me and the idea of going back to classes and GPAs gives me a migraine, but I know I still have a lot to learn and I don't know if any pro studio is going to want to pick someone like me up. I have a lot of confidence in myself, my sense of design, my work ethic, and how I'll learn and respond under pressure, but I don't want to be a liability and I don't want to underestimate how hard it'll be to just drop myself into this without being eased into it by a school.

Greg Westphal

Honestly man, depends on how far you are willing to go.  There are a lot of concept artists, myself included, who for whatever reason, couldn't go to art center and regret not having that experience.  In my case I did a year at FZD which was hell enough, but the worst was scrapping by for 2 years till I finally got a studio job.  Art center is rough, but so is any option that you're going to have to get to the point you're a viable concept artist.  If you want to stay in LA I'd say stick with Art Center, cause your chance of landing a studio job there without that degree or something similar like a long term plan at gnomon or brainstorm is pretty minimal.  I was down there taking brainstorm classes until I was finally offered a gig in Poland.  If you're willing to work abroad for about a 5th of the pay for experience, I'd say you may be able to find a studio job, maybe.  Its just not at all an easy thing to break into at this point because of how popular its become lately and how few of us are actually required on a project.  If you really want to do it though you won't quit and that will guarantee you get in at some point, but Art Center would make that a hell of a lot easier if you can tough it out/afford it.